Family Ties Book 2
by red wraith
Summary: 2nd installment of Family Ties, story which i started a while ago. it picks off where it last left off, a vampiric father-duaghter family struggle to see eye to eye in a empire that is pushing them apart. plenty of action, a little romance, and laughs.
1. Default Chapter

FAMILY TIES  
  
BOOK TWO  
  
INTRO  
  
Ten years have passed since kain declared war against the humans of Nosgoth. But in a world not of their own the vampires fought long and hard, through the sun and over the seas, the world out of their favor. Never the less slowly but surely the war began moving into kains favor. The advantages over humanity became evident and vital to each step kain took toward victory. A vampire needed not sleep, nor food, and for every one that died, hundreds replaced it more from the corps of the human armies. Blood was the only thing they needed and once the war started…they hand plenty to look forward to. Like one unified great swarm of destruction, the vampires swept thought the land devouring every thing in their path. The Humans, with their bloated egos and high pride, unaware of the coming of the vampire threat, had been caught off guarded and scrabble to grip the situation of their true reality. Lost in a sea of ignorance and arrogance, the humans that once refused to acknowledge that such scourge as the vampires would ever pose a true threat, would quickly be flooded and drowned in the coming tide of kains assault.   
  
Unfortunately, the catastrophic amount of human casualties of the war had brought down its own tide of civil conflict among the vampire clans. The dead, which were need to spawn more vampires, were bickered and fought over...especially among the smallest of the vampire clans. This disturbed kain. The younger clans were small and few and demanded clan's numbers to be fair and level. While the older clans fought the real war on the battlefield and constantly demanded more troops, lord kain ordered that all battlefield dead would be split up equally amongst the smallest clans, the weaklings of the dead would go to the younger clans while the elder clans would walk across the battle field picking up the corps of the humans strongest warriors.  
  
Niccolie was quickly drafted from the Zephonim intelligence web to the head of a Razielim cavalry unit. Niccolie's fierce battlefield fire and advanced strategic at commanding quickly earned him recognition as a valued lieutenant among the vampire ranks and his brutal and horrific attacks on the humans made him a legendary terror on the battlefield. Despite his iron fist dedication to the war, some of the people Niccolie commanded would often refuse to follow him. He was often ordered to work with the Razielim, who already hated him for his crimes against them as a vampire slayer, and the other was the Turelim who had their own reasons to hate him. Eventfully this caught the attention of kain. Kain had been closely watching Niccolie and other former vampire slayers with in his army, Niccolie was one of the ones he favored. Kain knew that he would never harvest Niccolies full potential with out the right tools. Thus kain ordered Niccolie create his own cavalry unit that would operate out side a clan jurisdiction and answer only to kain, as a part of the kains private army, of which he had his own infantry.  
  
Niccolie walked thorough the rakes of the vampire clans for 20 the most ruthless, loyal, and battle worn veteran vampires he could find and then he made them battle ready, conformed and formatted to his strategic psyche. Quickly they became a force to reckon with and one that Kain was proud to call his own. Feared though out the human kingdom, and wanted on every battlefield in theirs. They earn many names like "kains hand" "the dark riders" "the riding death" and the infamous "nights slaughter cavalry" for their trade mark assaults. In the middle of night they would charge down upon villages and camps…and in the morning nothing would be left but torn remains of human life.  
  
While her father continued his dedication to the war, Karie was sent to the Vandor academy of war. Niccolie wished to keep Karie safe form danger and that she would not see the terrors of war. Although she heavily resented her father's idea of protection she found many knew friends while training for war and learning the old vampire's ways.  
  
CHAPTER ONE  
  
Night. Near the caves of the oracle.   
  
Night, so dark and long that even the razor sharp minds of war campers had been chiseled down to a dull blunt edge by the hour of the night. For a time of war, the men seemed at peace, quietly talking of their homes and family, the things they loved and the things they did in there youth. Slowly men began to get ready for the nights sleep, they bid each other good night as a small few stayed up a little longer to right their letters to wives and children or to finish what stew was left from days dinner. And finally as the moon waned over the black smoky sky they fell to the mercy of dreams while watching the flames of the last fire leap into the night sky.   
  
Across the grassy field on which the men camped and up a hill slop, silent observers upon horse watched as the wind swept the campfire smoke toward their high hill, hiding them in obscurity form their dreaming prey.  
  
Twenty pairs of red amber eyes glared tensely and patiently at the camp. The biggest stood ahead of the others, clearly the leader of the riders mounted band of stalkers. They stood as quite and still as the night, motionless, from a distance it was far too easy to mistake them for trees or brush, and yet no one would have the opportunity to have a seconded opinion as the smoke obscured the strange statues.  
  
  
  
They watched as the camp slowly fell asleep from the day's battles.  
  
"Let us strike now master!" hissed one as a pair of eyes moved in the direction of the leader. The leader raised his hand, and signaling them all to hold. Time drove on and the camp was alive with the sound of snoring.  
  
Slowly the fire died out as the last ambers grew cold, the camps smoke end and the riders lay now exposed in the night, their vision clear.  
  
*Shrink* the sound of metal pulling against metal as the leader pulled his black and silver sword from his back slits. Every one did the same.  
  
The leader turned his horse to the others.   
  
"Now we go, quick and bloody, no survivors" his words seemed to freeze the air around him. He turned his horse toward the camp, one slap of his spurs and he charged down the hill as the others followed him in a frenzy of swords and hooves.  
  
Quietly the vampire slayers slept, they did not hear the thunder of wild horses charging down the hill in their direction and unknowingly to them, their fates were sealed.  
  
Suddenly someone screamed as a dozen horses trampled over him in his sleep. All the others found that they had awoken into a hell of darkness and blades. as one got up and scrambled to find his sword, a horseman charged past leaving the man in two pieces. Heads were flung from their bodies as swords tore through them with impossible speed. In a matter of minuets it was all over. Quite was the camp again and night went on.  
  
  
  
The next morning.  
  
The sun rose to blood covered sheets and body parts that littered the once peaceful camp. A glossy black leather boot stepped into the mud with a shingle from its spur. It was tall man in black leather armor with a hood shaded over his head, the leader. He took another step as he looked over the camp. His cape, tattered from years of battle and riding within the thick of woods with shredded holes that exposed his pair of swords crossed over his back.  
  
"A glorious morning, isn't it, Niccolie?" said a short but well build dark skinned vampire with white dread locks as approached the tall man, he to wore similar armor with a hood, which he used hoe shade his face from the suns sickening rays. The leader turned to him.  
  
"With the rise of the sun we have arisen victorious." continued the smaller vampire, motioning to the early morning sun.  
  
"Indeed" said the leader turning back to the shattered camp.  
  
"And what are we to do with the bodies of those intact, Niccolie?" the smaller one pointed to a corps that had been trampled to death, rather then the sliced to pieces "shall we give them to lord kain, or to the local Dumahim?"  
  
"We leave them, let whoever wants them take them" said Niccolie walking off through the camp. "We have done our job"   
  
Niccolie's looks had not changed much through the years; his pale white face and pitch-black hair were frozen in time from the moment of his death. But he had changed a lot more then he looked. He was respected, respected for what he did. He was important now, his reputation, his actions, all desired his aid, even kain asked for him. When kain asked the secret of his success, Niccolie didn't give an answer, all he could say was 'he does what he does best'. Then kain awarded him power, his own little army of hand picked men. The highest honor in the vampire community.  
  
Niccolie walked up to his horse, a black Lipizzan he had named dark rain, and got on. He trotted through the camp. His men were scavenging through every thing the vampire hunters owned, looking for any thing of value or perhaps some vital information they were carrying.  
  
Niccolie trotted up to the smaller vampire whom he had spoke to before, a Dumahim, he was Shark, Niccolies seconded in command, right a man, and his most trusted friend. The story behind how the two met was comical, but they where both men of the same nature, and quickly became fast friends.  
  
"I am going to scout the area, and report to Jacob." Niccolie told Shark as he trotted away.  
  
Shark didn't ask why Niccolie was going to scout, that was a fledgling's job, but he knew Niccolie. Every man in the unit knew him. This was some thing he did often and if any one asked why they would never live to regret it. No one questions Niccolies actions.  
  
Niccolie trotted Black Rain through the low grass, and into the woods. The cool breeze ran over his body. Niccolies mind lay a thunderstorm of turmoil, his mind had become corrupted from the tensions of his life, and it seemed unbearable. With Karie begging to go to battle, kains direct orders, along with letters of assistance from every clan and Zephons persisten nagging for him to take on special missions for the clans benefit, he was over worked. He felt as if he was being pulled in all directions. Not to mention his other life, his blood lust life that he tried in every possible way to hide from Karie, but every day it grew stronger, and harder to control.   
  
He was a monster among his own men. If Kain ever wanted to send a message to the humans, he would send Niccolie. But above all, the sharpest spear to his mind was the death of his wife, he had been half way driven to insanity and half driven to the misery and loneliness of which he never recovered. He found that killing was the only escape. He would just ride into battle and let his rage take over as if each life he took would make things right, made things more justified, made life more bearable. And in it all there was a benefits to all this, he was respected and feared and thus no one would dare question him. In a way his inner suffering fueled his outer success.  
  
Niccolie road to a near by mountain and had Black Rain hike up it, once he reached a clearing he gazed down on all around him like some kind of god. He could see to the vampire strong holds were the Dumahim had based their capital and then on the other side of the mountain was a small cluster of black, like a spot of cancer on a field of evergreen health. His riders. He stood on the cliff that over looked them all for a second. He sat down and looked across the view again. He picked up some small stones at his feet. He looked them over for a few seconds before casting them off the cliff. As if he tried to throw away the pain and sorrow that tainted his life, even so, it failed.  
  
After some time he got up and got back on black rain and trotted back down to the city that he had to report in to.  
  
****  
  
"I just don't get him," said Karie aimlessly moving books around. She had changed very little since she became a vampire too, she still looked her peak age of 18 even thought her true age was 31, and yet she was still child in mind, immature, arrogant, and impatient. A side effect of immortality, look young feel young. And the fact her father still treated her like a child didn't help the matter. She sat at a table that had books piled in small mountains that lay among six other vampires. Three girls, two of where older then the third, Shila and Moemie, Shila and Moemie were of Zephonim. Both of which looked like they were in there twenties but are acutely around the adult age of karie. the third was a younger fledgling named Ariel of the Dumahim, she was turned at a abornamly young age, a look as a child even though she had lived for a good 20 years. And three boys, one was an adult named Thresh, a Turelim by breed but not by heart. next was in his mind adult but fledgling by years, his name was Vicious, but referred to as Vic, a quite Dumahim who often kept to himself. The last was a fresh fledgling, so fresh he still smelt human, named Elayious, he prefer EL with an attitude of a typical Zephonim. He was the groups clown.  
  
"Maybe he's scared you might get hurt," said Moemie flipping a page of a very big book.  
  
"That's what he is doing. He's putting me here so I can lose out on all the action" said Karie in a fussy tone crossing her arms.  
  
"Well he's your father. he's trying to protect you." added Shila  
  
"Yeah, he's like your 'father', your BIRTH father. We don't have that; we only got the one that made us what we are. You should be thankful for what you got." Thresh lectured in his wise guy tone   
  
"I guess you are right." Said Karie picking up one of the books and opening it. The small group sat quietly in the huge library, reading through the scrolls and dusty old books.  
  
"This assignment sucks," said EL finally breaking the silence.  
  
"Well, some day you will need to know every action the great Vorador did." Said Thresh  
  
"Hay how long do you think this war will go on?" ask Moemie.  
  
"Not long," said thresh.  
  
"Why not long?" asked Ariel curiously   
  
"The humans are disorganized, they are not prepared. Too busy fighting amongst each other."  
  
"You think we will wipe out humanity?" asked Moemie   
  
"No, some will probably live on." Said Karie flipping another page."or where would we get food?"  
  
"AH HA!!" said EL triumphantly as he jumped up, his short body nearly buried under the books.  
  
"Found some thing?" asked Vic.  
  
EL flung the book down to revile a sketch drawing of Vorador with a column next to it. Thresh picked it up and began to read.  
  
"Vorador, one of the most powerful vampires to live thought the vampire plunges. During the plagues he had successful kill six members of the circle of nine to avenge the vampiric holocaust brought down by their sarifan armies. Shortly there after he retried to his mansion in the woods north east of the pillars. Were he stayed till he was captured and executed along with his followers."  
  
"hummm. well I still don't see why he is so great." Said Ariel.  
  
"He killed six members of the circle of nine to stop the extinction of vampire kind" Vic pointed out "we owe our existence to him"  
  
"Is that a good or bad thing?" Karie mumbled to herself  
  
"So" Ariel said sarcastically  
  
"So? So! The circle of nine was the one who invented the sarafan and sent them to destroy all vampires." Said thresh a little upset at their lack of respect for such a ancient vampire hero.  
  
"Well he only killed six" Ariel continued  
  
"six out of nine is a lot." Vic replied  
  
"You found some thing?" an elder mentor had entered the library. He was the teacher of all cadets.  
  
Thresh handed the book to him.  
  
"Good, I am glad you took your time to only find one book that contains Vorador." He glanced at the piles on the table "his name should be in all of these"  
  
"We...uh..." Karie began trying to think of excuses  
  
"Enough, your not going to be wasting my time" he said putting the book down "to the gym, poll jumping for all of you."  
  
"Awe man!!" whined EL  
  
Every one got up and left the library. 


	2. chapter 2

CHAPTER 2  
  
***  
  
"Did any escape?" asked a big Dumahim lieutenant known as Jacob, or 'Jacob the rage' as many under his command called him.  
  
"No, we went under the cover of darkness they never saw us coming," said Niccolie firmly "I am surprised you doubt my men's skill"  
  
"Well, you had good reason to attack and kill these slayers but it may attract to much attention from humans, the families and loved ones of these slayers may demand retribution and carry out a assault, this city would be seen as culprit"  
  
"Nonsense" Niccolie said, "You worry too much"  
  
"I am cautions," he said as he grabbed some thing from his desk. "But I do have some letters for you, they arrived this morning. Lord Raziel wants you to lead his cavalry unit when he makes his assault on the city of Willendorf."  
  
"It's amusing, seven months ago I was banned form Razielim territory" Niccolie pause "caused too much trouble, they literally chased me out."  
  
"Razile says he will turn a blind eye on you passed sins to his clan. He wants to ensure that the attack will be successful."  
  
"Who else wants my services?"  
  
"Lord Rahab wants you to help him liberate the humans abbey for him to the north."  
  
"The abbey? Water? is he insane? What kind of vampire would want to take over that fortification?"  
  
"Also, lord Turel has a proposition for you to take down a marauding group of vampire hunters that have been harassing his copper and gold mines in the mountains" Jacob continued  
  
"Turel seems to portray me as a bounty hunter and not a soldier. Send word to lord Raziel, me and my men will arrive at his capital in two days." Niccolie turned out of the room and down the hall.  
  
The razileim. He had hunted them in life and that was enough a reason for them to hate him after life. Niccolie knew Raziel was the topnotch worrier; they called him and all his brood the 'elite'. Of coarse all Razielim had a problem with the other clans, they viewed everyone as lesser, and demanded that everything was of the best quality for themselves. They held a rare form of untamed arrogance. Niccolie and Shark had met and become friends in the Razielim territory. after they destroyed a bar in a drunken bar fight, hi-jacked a trade wagon and road around the Razielim capital city in a drunken rage as the elite guards tried to kill them. This attack had to be very important to Raziel if he wanted Niccolie to take part in it. It was True, Razielim were the elite, they were fast, strong, and very smart, they had a very good balance of all of these, so why hire Niccolie and his riders?  
  
The Dumahim city was large; it appropriately mimicked the Dumahim personality. Big, bad, and intimidating. The ceiling was high and loomed down like the sky, intricate and amazing images of warriors and battle where engraved into the thick hard stone. Dumahim littered the halls, conversing and bragging of their achievements.   
  
Niccolie walked into the blood fountain room, most of his riders were there feeding and looking over the items they recovered form the nights raid.  
  
As he walked to the blood fountain room they nodded in respect and quickly parted a path to the fountain. Niccolie picked up a cup and dipped it in to the fountain of blood and sipped it.  
  
"To our victory" came a voice behind him.  
  
Niccolie turned and saw Karven, One of his riders, with his glass raised to Niccolie for night's success, everyone raised their glasses toward Niccolie as He raised his.  
  
"Indeed" he said as lowered his cup. "Men," Niccolie began as his men sat down with their cups full "tomorrow we leave for the Razielim capital. The Lord Raziel has asked for our services in an attack on the city of Willendorf. you are off duty for the rest of the day and we will ride tonight." Everyone nodded in respect and they quickly noted it in their heads.  
  
Niccolie drank his fill then left for his room. He went in and took off his weapons and sat outside at the balcony that over looked the cities indoor courtyard.  
  
Sara came and took his weapons and walked up to him with them.  
  
"No, Sara, we leave to night. Gather your things." Niccolie told her.  
  
She quietly put down the weapons and left to get her few objects of sentimental value. Sara had aged much over the years; she was in her forties now. Old but still willing to serve. She had taken care of him during the times he was injured and sent back to the city bed ridden for a week or so. Niccolie held more respect for her now then he ever did, over the years he taught her to speak and she told him of her life. She was born a slave, and her parents died when she was still a young baby, she had spent most of her years trying to escape from her slave holders until she was sold back to the slave camp.  
  
Niccolie sat back and thought of karie. She was good to him but somewhere, deep inside her; she was hiding some thing like a hidden grudge. He tried to ignore it but he could feel it there, just nagging at the back of his neck.  
  
That night Niccolie, Sara, and all his riders and their slaves and supplies traveled down to the west. They stopped in the morning at Rahabs camp near the abbey. Niccolie decided to state his protest to Rahab about the attack against the abbey and told him of the magnitude of insanity of the attack, which Rahab didn't find very amusing. Regardless Rahab convinced Niccolie to assist in the attack, and he would return as soon as he was done with Raziel.  
  
Then Zephon showed up. He had come to talk to rahab about a spear project they were working on. Zephon and niccolie had not seen each other in a year or so. Niccolie rarely showed up for the meetings because he was always off working for someone and Zephon had constantly been planning missions and interrogation humans to extract tactical information for Kain.  
  
"Niccolie, you must come to the next meeting, you will not regret you did." Zephon said as he saw niccolie walking down the hallway in his direction. formal greetings were not zephons style.  
  
"The war has been unkind zephon, time is something I have very little of." Answered Niccolie as he walked up to him.  
  
"Ahhh, you are a daring soldier now, but you must try to keep up with the others in your life, like your clan, and your daughter." Zephon lead Niccolie to the small indoor courtyard in the camps large tented central command room; Rahab was wait there for Zephon.  
  
"Yes, how is my daughter?" said Niccolie with a smile, he had asked zephon to watch over Karie and make sure she stayed out of trouble in his absence.  
  
"She is doing good, she had advanced to expert on all the courses, but she still is lost in the lectures."  
  
"Aren't we all?" Niccolie laughed  
  
Zephon asked to speak with Niccolie after his meeting with Rehab. After the meeting Niccolie and Zephon sat down to discuss the events in the clan over some blood wine as Niccolie watched over his men groom their horses for a nights ride.  
  
"Niccolie I need to talk to you about you position" said Zephon pouring two glasses of blood wine   
  
"What? My position as your fourth?" Niccolie took one.  
  
"Yes"  
  
"I told you all ready, I like were I am .I don't want to promoted to first lieutenant. Too much work, and I already have too much to do."  
  
"You are already first lieutenant." Said zephon sipping his blood wine  
  
"What?" Niccolie was about to sip his wine but quickly lowered it.  
  
"You have been first lieutenant for over four months"  
  
"What about Khlil?"  
  
"He was killed by a bunch of vampire hunters while traveling to one of my bases. The other lieutenants didn't want his position. So I choose you."  
  
"Does this mean I have to take on his duties, you will have to discuss this with kain."  
  
'No, you don't have to do a thing, I will take care of the rest."  
  
"And who is in my position?"  
  
"My new lieutenant. I want you to meet her" Zephon swirled his wine in his glass.  
  
"Her?" niccolie said a little preplexed Zephon never had a female lieutenant before.   
  
"Yes, she has heard a lot about you and would like to meet you too." Zephon smiled and sipped his wine.  
  
"That's why you want me to go to the next meeting?"  
  
"It would be good if karie saw her father too."  
  
Niccolie pondered the thought, it was true he had not seen her in a long time, and he didn't want the family to grow any more distant.  
  
"Fine, when's the next meeting." Shark entered and waited silently behind Niccolie.  
  
"Two weeks from now,"  
  
"I will see if I can attend," said Niccolie getting up and looking to shark. "Yes?"  
  
"The men are ready to go, sir" shark said.  
  
"Good, I will see if I can attend Zephon." niccolie said walking out.  
  
"Do what you can" he replied.  
  
Niccolie left the room and joined his men as they road to the Razielim capital. They would arrive there in the morning.  
  
***  
  
"Check mate!" EL shouted as he knocked Karie's queen from the board.  
  
"Damn!!" karie said getting up and kicking the chessboard from the table.  
  
"If I can't beat him, you cant beat him," said thresh flipping through a small book.  
  
"I am board, some one think of some thing to do." Said Ariel aimlessly braiding her hair.  
  
The whole crew was sitting the lounge room. Training was over for the night.  
  
"Why don't we go out there and get us some thing to eat?" asked moemie.  
  
"That's an idea," thresh mocked  
  
"I don't feel like jumping out of the window to night." Vic said sympathetically  
  
"Whose next in chess?" el asked resetting the board.  
  
"Ok, EL your champion, now please be a darling and put away the chess set."  
  
"gezz, your no fun karie."  
  
"Well, I will put away if you come up with a good reason why I should."  
  
"I won!!!"  
  
"That's an excuse not a reason."  
  
"Hay everyone, why don't we go into the courts and make fun of the lieutenants," said shila getting up.   
  
"They have the power to kill us, and do you know how embarrassing it is for one of us, 'young ones' as they call us, to be seen in there." Said EL slipping the chess set into a cabinet.  
  
The door opened and more vampires entered.  
  
"great!! Our privacy has been interrupted." karie threw up her hands  
  
"How about we go horse riding?" asked Shila looking out the window longingly at the stables below.  
  
"Hay, that sounds good, I know one of the owners, he will let us ride for free." said EL  
  
"Sounds good to me," said karie  
  
"Me too" added Vic  
  
"Me third" added Moemie getting up.  
  
"I am in," said Ariel  
  
Every one turned to thresh who remained quite.  
  
"Hay, does it look like I have a choice?"  
  
Everyone laughed as Thresh got up and lead the way out the door.  
  
****  
  
The rezileim capital city. A booming business town for slaves, horse, and weapons of all kinds, both vampire and humans did trading here, some kind of all race trading policy set up by the Razielim. Raziel lets humans trade here for profit; he heavily taxed all incoming human traders, which made the Razielim one of the wealthest of the clans.  
  
Niccolie looked at the city from the distance. He didn't like the Razielim, Mostly because they didn't like him. He would have to watch his back in the city.  
  
"HA" his horse reared up and charged down the road to the gates. His men came down right on his tail. They ran through the gates and into the city streets. The people in the streets had already parted a path for him and huddle in fear at the sidewalks. He road through the streets to the Razielim palace, and there paused before the gates.  
  
Two Razielim met him and his men at the front gates and took their hoses as they dismounted. Niccolie walked to the doors, they opened instantly. He entered the halls and looked around servants looked at him in amazement, like they were dreaming.   
  
"This way sir" said a young Razielim directing him down a hall.  
  
He followed the servant and came to a pair of big doors with two guards.  
  
"I am niccolie, the dark rider. Is your Lord in this room?"  
  
"Yes"  
  
"Good," said Niccolie pushed them aside and proceeding in to the room. He forced open the big doors himself and found he had just walked into a meeting. The lieutenants looked at him in surprise.  
  
"Welcome niccolie." Came a clam voice from the far end of the room.  
  
Raziel walked forward in all his majestic glory. Niccolie got down on one knee and bowed then rose a second later.   
  
"You are just in time," said Raziel with a smile. 


	3. chapter 3

CHAPTER 3  
  
****  
  
"Here" Raziel pointing at the front gate of the cities blue prints. "You will focus your attack here, while me and my forces will attack at the rear of the city, I want the catch them off guard."  
  
"What about the front gates, you expect us to break thorough that kind of a defense?" Asked Niccolie. "Or just make it look like it"  
  
"You don't have to brake it. Just fight it. It's a distraction. The humans hate and fear you, they will stay focused on you."  
  
"What if we do break it?"  
  
"Keep fighting of course, till either they surrender or they are all dead."  
  
"Will I receive any kind of support? Artillery? Infantry men? Archers?"  
  
"Yes, five catapults and two hundred of my kin. But stop the catapults firing after I have broken in. it isn't easy to take the city if you raze it to the ground."  
  
Raziel rolled up the map and then handed it to one of his lieutenants.  
  
"Niccolie, I choose you to lead my men only because you have a reputation for your skill in cavelry warfare, expcially in a battle with the odds against you. Consider this an opportunity to right the wrong with my clan. But as of now you are to respect and obey my orders."  
  
"I will" Niccolie nodded with respect.  
  
That night, out in the camp next to the city. The sound of swords being sharpened, horses being groomed was about, sounds of preparation. Niccolie didn't want to stay in the city, he fear a spiteful Razielim might try to sabotage his unit or some thing.  
  
Niccolie sat down next to the fire. He pulled out his swords and stuck them in to the fire.  
  
"You worried?" asked shark who sat next to him.  
  
"No." Said Niccolie staring into the fire.  
  
"Why? I was always curious of what made you fearless."   
  
"I guess I just don't really care, I never thought about the risk of battle"  
  
"You don't fear death?"  
  
"I don't know, my life has been barely livable since I entered this world. Maybe I am just to exhausted to live any more"  
  
"The past can be forgotten" shark said "think here and now"  
  
"Not mine, are you worried?"  
  
"No"  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because if I want to go, this is how I want to go. In the heat of battle, I don't want to die rotting in some bed or some thing, after all,that is why I became a vampire in the frist place."   
  
"That's what I want to hear in my men," said niccolie   
  
Early morning.  
  
The sun rose to the shadows of an army marching to the city. Small, but still an army.  
  
And before them the city of Willendorf. It had rained supreme for hundreds of years. Even now long after the death of King Omattar, it's streets shined gold and the cities hummed of business; wealth and power had lasted as far back as Niccolie remembered.  
  
Niccolie felt a cold breeze pass over his face. It was odd to attack at day, he felt naked, and vulnerable. But Raziel needed the humans to recognize niccolie in the light, to draw their attention away form his infiltration unit.  
  
"Sir, the catapults are in place." Said a young Razielim as he approached Niccolie.  
  
"Good" Niccolie nodded and turned to shark "ready the troops."  
  
Niccolie looked over to the forest behind the city. Some moments went by but then there was the signal. A glint of a sword flashed in their direction.  
  
*Shink* Niccolie pulled out his sword and raised it to the sky.  
  
"MARCH" he yelled and every one began to march to the city.  
  
The cities front wall began to buzz with shout and screams and orders, soldiers poured out to the support towers and over crowded the wall.  
  
"FIRE" screamed some one and the catapults shot to fire balls at the cities walls  
  
Then arrows were fired back and forth. It rained over them like hail and tore at them, as they grew closer.  
  
Then some one screamed f'ire' again and two blasts shot out across the plains and hit the wall, splattering bodies and fire all over the place.  
  
Niccolie calmly waited for the rear attack to take place.   
  
then the men on the walls freak, and turned their back to them. They rushed down from the wall.  
  
Niccolie then charged down and his men charged down behind him like bats out of hell. Water, arrows, fire rained down on him, he herd screams of the unfortunate behind him. He charged down to the gate's his head down, fear gone. He jumped off his horse and slammed at the huge wood doors. They held firm. He slammed at it again. They held firm. "Stupid" he told himself.  
  
Suddenly he had an idea. He turned around to see one of his men about to throw a hatchet up at the walls guards. He ran up a snatched it from him and ran back to the door. He hacked at the small space between the doors until he could see the heavy wood bolt holding the door firm. He reached in and slowly began to slide it out.  
  
"LOOK OUT SIR!!" he heard shark scream at him. He turned around and saw a flaming catapult pot of fire head his way. He jumped out of the way just as it hit the doors and blasted them wide open.  
  
"WHY THE HELL DID YOU DO THAT!!!" he roared at the artillery captain. But he didn't wait for an answer and got back on to his horse and charged into the town.  
  
It was fiery hell, vampires and humans swarming over each other. He charged into the crowed. Lucky for him all the vampires wore Razielim clan colors, and the humans wore green.  
  
*Shink* he pulled out his three and a half foot long riding sword and charged in and began lopping of heads of any thing that wore green.  
  
The battlefield was filled with screams.  
  
*Shrink* off went a head  
  
*Chop* of went a arm  
  
*Shrink* off went other head.  
  
Niccolie hacked his way thought the crowed, men ran up to him and fell to pieces. Soon the humans weren't so many, the town was littered with their bodies.  
  
"RAAHHHHH!!!" Niccolie was suddenly tackled from his horse to the bloody ground.  
  
A man ran up to his side and lifted his sword up high for the final deathblow.  
  
*Shink* next thing the man knew he had stumps for legs.  
  
Niccolie pulled his other shorter blade out and switched hands as he got up. Another man came running up to him. They traded blows and with each blow the pace got faster and faster until the human could handle it.  
  
*Shink* and then there was half a human.  
  
Niccolie hacked his way to the doors of the castle. But then he was rushed by a crowed of humans and found himself fighting ferociously. Some thing bumped against his back and he spun around, swords raised. It was a Razielim female. For a moment they exchanged glances. But he pulled her aside as a human rushed at her back. Another wave of humans came over them and they found themselves fighting back to back.  
  
"NICCOLIE COME WITH ME!!" yell Raziel over the screams of the humans. Niccolie saw him as he knocked down one of the humans. Raziel ran up to the doors and stuck his sword in between them and leveled a thrust then kicked the doors open.  
  
Niccolie and the Razielim woman went with him and two of his lieutenants followed.  
  
"I told you to hold artillery fire," said Raziel as he and Niccolie bolted the door after two of his lieutenant's dash in.   
  
"Your artillery captian is deaf." Niccolie slid the half of broken bolt in the slot in front of the doors.  
  
"I will see to it later, FIND THE KING" Raziel pushed on into the castle  
  
Some more men joined them and they began running thought the castle looking for the king, they had found other ways in.  
  
Niccolie went with Raziel and the woman. The castle was almost abandoned some maids where running around with water but they ignored raziel, niccolie and the others. The search party broke into the main hall.  
  
"What happened to all the guards?" said Niccolie looking along the windows and rows of chairs.  
  
*Fwip* an arrow shot past him just missing his head.  
  
"GET DOWN!!" screamed Raziel as four guards ran out firing arrows at them.  
  
Raziel picked up a chair and threw it at them knocking two down. Niccolie putted out two of his throwing knives and gave the last two an up close and personal look at them.  
  
They made there way thought the castle till they found the king hiding in his closet.  
  
The battle was over in a few minutes. It took the Razileim fourty minutes to break the defense, kill the inner defense and hang the king. All with a minimum lost of a fifty or so men. Raziel was more then please with the victory. But most of the human soldiers had fled. A he sent niccolie and his riders to hunt down and eliminate them. 


	4. chapter 4

CHAPTER 4  
  
****  
  
Two weeks later.  
  
The Zephonim city has begun to explode with hustle and bustles once again, the lieutenants and their men have began to arrive from their privet cites. Traders, ironsmiths, horse breeders, and slave traders had swarmed over the central hall hoping for the arrival of the lieutenants to spawn some new business.  
  
And with the come of night, it surged the city in to a frenzy of feeding, the time of excellence for slave traders. But with night comes new troubles.   
  
  
  
"Karie, hurry up. The guards just about to make his next pass." Came a quite whisper two doors from the exit/entry to the training dorms.   
  
In the shadows were six figures, cautiously wait against the walls. Karie looked thought her door to the hallway, the guard passed and she slipped out and quickly pushed up against the wall of the horizontal hallway opposite of the guards patrol parimiter.  
  
"You think this is a good idea, you known what they will do if they catch us." whispered Shila next to her.  
  
"It's one of our only opportunities, unless you want to jump out of a window again?" she whispered back.  
  
Whenever there is meeting with the lieutenants the security at the city doubles with each lieutenant that arrives. Most of it for the cities safety, because It is like all the big fish in one big barrel, so most of the guards that happen to be patrolling the dorms go on wall duty, and not many care what they are guarding inside the city.  
  
Karie looked down the hall to the doors, which were a work of art with pictures of vampires and forgotten gods carved through them, lighting up their faces with the light of the outside.  
  
She could see the guard's back through the carvings, EL leaning to the carvings looking out.  
  
The guard moved and every one waited for EL's signal. Some moments passed and then he signaled every one to come and he slowly creaked open the door.  
  
Suddenly he franticly motioned every one to come, and one by one everyone slipped out of the door unnoticed by the guard about twenty feet way talking with his friends.  
  
They walked down the halls that were crowded and boomed with laugher and conversation. Karie was impressed she hadn't seen so much hustle over the clan meeting. It must mean something special was going to happen, all the more reason not be locked in the dorms. They went to the blood fountain room and drank and talked the night away.  
  
"What would your father say if he saw you doing this?" said Moemie with a laughed as she drank down another cup.  
  
"He wouldn't know. More or less care!!" laughed Karie with her. "You know he never comes to these meetings," she added as she scooped up another cup. "He'll stay as far away from this place as his hoarse can take him."  
  
They could hear the blare of the trumpets telling everyone in the city another lieutenant had arrived. Some one began playing a tune and Karie, and Moemie began to sing an old song they used to know, Shila got up and danced a little gig and Karie joined her.  
  
"Let me dance!!" came an eager voice.  
  
A hand reached out and grabbed Karie. She pulled away and he didn't let go.  
  
"Let go!! I am warning you!!" she yelled at him.  
  
He didn't let go. Karie raised her hand in a fist.  
  
*CRACK*   
  
"AHHHHHHHHHH!! MY TOOTH!!" he fell to the ground clutching his jaw. The commotion in the room stopped and every one looked at them.  
  
Karie turned and left the man, but some one grabbed her by the shoulder and pulled her back.  
  
Vic got up and walked to the man, and pushed him off her.   
  
Suddenly two other vampires came up and whacked Vic down. EL jumped on to one, and pulled him down, Shila kicked the other one off Vic. Suddenly the room was a frenzy, people were throwing chairs and punching each other not really caring who they were fighting or why.  
  
*BANG!*  
  
Suddenly the doors flung open with such force that every one in the room stopped dead.  
  
A man stood in the door way, his cape tatter from countless battles and the smell of dried blood still clinging to his pitch black leather armor, and from the cape was a hood that loomed over a sinister pair of glowing red eyes. And behind him were twenty other men all with a history of being the most feared vampires to ever ride a horse.   
  
Every one suddenly dropped what they were doing, they didn't want a bar fight with these men of horrible reputation. Karie, who was standing over another man with one hand around his neck and another in a fist, had a panic stricken look over her face.  
  
"Uh oh" Moemie whispered under her breath as she dropped a statue she was going to whack some body with.  
  
"Well, it looks like we have a bar fight on our hands, Niccolie," said shark who stood behind the dark man.  
  
"Yes, we do." Niccolie said as he crossed his arms and focused on Karie. "EVERYONE OUT!" he roared  
  
"Wait you just can." began the man catering the cups.  
  
Niccolie shot him an eye from under his shaded hood and the man stopped abruptly. Every one began to walk out and Niccolies riders made taunting smiles at them. Karie, Vic and Moemie tried to blend in with the exiting crowd but Niccolie held out his hand and stopped them.  
  
"You stay." he said as he walked to the cup holder.  
  
Ariel stood innocently in the corner of the room holding her cup, she looked like a child, but she was really in her twenties. Thresh and Vic stayed back and grabbed EL as he tried to exit. Shila joined them.  
  
The dark riders came in and took all the cups from the cup holder as soon as Niccolie had his first drink.  
  
Niccolie walked up to Karie, her and her friends quickly assembled in to horizontal line, Niccolie walked down them, eyeing them. He knew Vic and Moemie from karie's first years of training. He had visited her and met them. Thresh, EL, Ariel and Shila he eyed suspiciously.  
  
When he got to Karie. He stopped and looked at her. Her face was down; he nudged it up with his hand to see her eyes. They exchanged gazes for a moment the he turned around and got some more blood.  
  
He looked around the room; his men were having their time feed. They needed it. It had been a long, long ride from Rahabs base, were he had a long talk with the rahabiam loard about the abbey plans.  
  
He didn't want to tell them to leave the room, so he left and Karie and her friends instinctively followed him. They walked to the first lieutenants room, which was rather big and had a nice view over the horse and black smith market.  
  
Once everyone was in the room, he slowly closed the door.  
  
"Why is he closing the door?" whispered EL a little nervous  
  
"He's not going to kill us is he?" added Shila  
  
"No, well...er...I don't think so." Karie tired to sound reassuring  
  
*boom* the doors sealed shut, cutting off all routs of escape.  
  
"WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU DOING!!!" Niccolie roared at them.  
  
Everyone looked at each other and then looked at Karie.  
  
"We were...uh...um...we were...uh...just having fun?" she said trying to finish it off with a smile.  
  
"Having fun?" Niccolie repeated his eyes ablaze  
  
"We were conducting a experiment on how to handle bar fight!!" EL busted out trying unsuccessfully to lie.  
  
"Young man, I don't know you, but you ask any of these three..." he pointed to Karie, Vic and Moemie "...I am immune to lies."  
  
He pulled out his swords and flopped them on to the bed; the youngsters stared at them a little intimidated. Then he took off his cape and hood.  
  
Then he walked out side to the chairs and table and sat down.  
  
Karie and every one else sat down.  
  
"Look, Mr. Niccolie sir," began Shila " we were um...hungry, I guess and decide to get some thing to drink, then next thing we knew they were throwing punches at us."  
  
Niccolie looked at her then looked to Karie.  
  
"Do I know this one?" he asked pointing a menacing finger at Shila.  
  
"No dad, this is Shila, that's Thresh," she pointed to thresh who nodded at Niccolie "this is Ariel" Ariel waved, tiring to keep her innocent child look. "And the small one is Elyois, or EL"  
  
Niccolie nodded to them.  
  
"Are you all in training?"  
  
"Yes" they said in unison looking at the ground  
  
"I don't know about you four" he said looking at thresh, EL, ariel and Shila "but I expect more from you three, I know you know better then to do this" Karie, Vic and Moemie loomed there heads.  
  
"Well there isn't much to do in the 'boredom' rooms," whined Moemie.  
  
"They made the 'dorm' rooms to teach you patients, Moemie, not how to escape the moment. What if you got seriously hurt or some thing?"  
  
"But we do it all the time!!" wailed EL  
  
Niccolie cocked an eyebrow "all the time? do they catch you?"  
  
"Um that's how we normally get back in," muttered Thresh.  
  
"I guess Zephon has been getting his info wrong, you make your own reputation of being escape masters?"  
  
"We once jumped out of the window to get out." added Ariel.  
  
"You did what?" Niccolie sat up, agitated, he pored another drink and gulped it down. Then pored another glass.  
  
"We were really bored. I mean we don't spend all day running around fighting humans." Whined Shila.  
  
Niccolie stopped in the middle of his drink and turned to her.   
  
"But I am sure after about two battles you will be begging to be let into training grounds, were the wooden dummies don't come to life and chop you friends to pieces, and were blood is plentiful and the sun cant get you and were every course you take you do without water, arrows and blood flying all over you. You think trainings hard, try and climb up a wall were some humans are waiting for the chance to poor water on you or waiting for seven hours for the perfect moment to attack." Said Niccolie in a harsh tone.  
  
There was a long silence then Niccolie sat back and drank his blood.  
  
"So what is training like now? They change any thing?"  
  
"No, not really" said Karie calmly  
  
"How are all you kids doing on the courses?"  
  
" All the physical courses we have passed effortlessly"  
  
"And the mental courses?"  
  
"We are staying awake"  
  
"Yep, not much has changed." Niccolie sipped his drink  
  
"But they did add on to the city, you should take a look around."  
  
"May be you kids should give me a tour." Said Niccolie getting up.  
  
"Now?"  
  
"Well as long as you are still free of the clutches of the training grounds, I say now."  
  
The seven kids spent the rest of the night showing Niccolie the new parts of the city. But by early morning he ordered them to go back to the training grounds. Save for a small private talk with Karie.  
  
"So what is really going on?" he said with worry.  
  
"Every thing is OK but I am getting sick of this training stuff, dad, you can't hold me here forever."  
  
"Karie, the reason you are here is because you're safe here. The war is far from over. And we are still one the losing end."  
  
"What is this dad!? You think I will just pick up a sword and walk two steps out of this city and just die!!"  
  
"You ARE overconfident, I have seen men twice your fighting capability fall at the hands of humans."  
  
"God dad you are so paranoid."  
  
"You go into that training camp and fight one of those swing boards and imagine what would happen if it threw a thrust instead of a swing, just one time and you're dead. Or it would go after you new found friends and kill them instead."  
  
Karie looked angrily in to his eyes then ran down the hall to her room. He took a deep breath and let it all out.  
  
"Karie!" he yelled as he walked ran down the hall as she was about to close the door.  
  
"What!" she snarled at him.  
  
"It's good to see you again, it been a long time."  
  
She cracked a smile.  
  
"It's good to see you to daddy" she gave him a hug and then went in to the room and slammed the door behind her.  
  
Niccolie stood there for a few moments, just looking at the door. "She's mad" he said out loud and slowly walked down the hall and out of the training grounds. 


	5. chapter 5

CHAPTER 5  
  
****  
  
"I must say, your men have each a reputation of blood fever." Said zephons second lieutenant to Niccolie. It was mid day and the lieutenants and the lieutenants men walked around the top floor of the city. The place where no one who was of lesser rank was aloud to enter. It was a meeting of the prime vampires of the Zephonim clan. Only Zephons lieutenants and all or any of their appointed men were welcome. Niccolie was wearing a dark blue silk tuxedo like outfit, sewed by Sara in her spar time; armor would be inappropriate for this form of an occasion. He listened intently, as shark stood next to him.  
  
"But I choose my men not by how strong or how fast, just on how much they are feared by the enemy." Niccolie said with a smile.  
  
"Interesting strategy, and your riders are wanted by all for their fear inducting affect on the battlefield?"  
  
"Maybe, fear can quickly cripple a man but perhaps it's because we do happen to be one of the most skilled cavalry units in all the empire." Niccolie said sipping his blood wine.  
  
"And you Shark, do you believe that this brutality is need to show the humans our true power."   
  
"Of course, humans fear not only what they don't understand, but also they fear a agonizing death, especially in a gruesome fashion. The combination of both fears would a shatter their nerve in battle giving us a high advantage," Said shark   
  
"Niccolie." Came Zephons voice. "There is some one I would like you to meet." He said as he walked up to his two luitenants.  
  
"Ahh, my replacement" Niccolie said turning to join Zephon. "Shark you have no need to join me."  
  
"Careful Niccolie, she can throw punches." Said the lieutenant as Niccolie left.  
  
"She can throw punches?" Niccolie questioned Zephon  
  
"He had an argument with her. He regretted it."  
  
"Humm"  
  
They walked down a series of hallways till they got to the balcony over looking the cities interior market. There sanding among some other people was a tall, slim lady. With hair that was an odd dark, dark, navy blue color to almost black. She had a calm, friendly face with winter blue eyes and dark red lips. Niccolie stuttered for a moment in his steps but attained his pace.  
  
"Kyla, there is some one I want you to meet." Said Zephon directing a hand to Niccolie.  
  
"Ahhh, the much feared Niccolie Lehethess, I have heard many tall tales about you and your riders." She said in a friendly but bold voice.  
  
"And I assume you are the one that has taking my place as forth." Niccolie said as he took her hand and gave it a kiss.  
  
"You sound as if I had robbed you of it." She said with a friendly laugh.  
  
"Niccolie enjoyed his umm...how did you put it? Simple place?" Said Zephon sarcastically.  
  
"Simple? A strange way for a man with such a complicated and busy schedule." She said rising an eyebrow at Niccolie.  
  
"It is but one step closer to simple is it not?" Niccolie smiled  
  
"I guess it is."  
  
"Well, I have others to attended to. Niccolie, Kyla. Enjoy your day, the meeting is tonight." And with that Zephon left.  
  
"Such a busy man" Kyla said.  
  
"Indeed."  
  
"I must say that of all the things I have herd about you, seem to be quite a gentle, and polite soul." She paused to look at his attire "I wasn't expect something so...soft hearted"  
  
"All depends on who tells the story"  
  
"Aw yes, the Turelim and Razileim don't fancy your tactics, yes?"  
  
"They just respect my past as a vampire hunter. But you, I have heard about you."  
  
"Me?" she said flattered  
  
"Yes, you. First female lieutenant, and teaching lessons to those of higher rank already." Niccolie spoke of the second's lieutenant's comment.  
  
"Oh, heh. He had the sensation that a female lieutenant would prove to be a weak spot in the clan's reputation."  
  
"Well you sure showed him, gave me a warning he did."  
  
"I supposed I went a little to hard on him," she laughed and Niccolie laughed along with her.  
  
"Tell me lady Kyla what made Zephon pick you for my position?"  
  
"Well, I was hand picked by him because he felt that the female population was getting left out of the war. Zephon, besides the fact of his large ego, does feel every one should have equal opportunities."  
  
"Sounds very odd coming from Zephon."  
  
"Yes, it does, but he is a genius and all ways has a calculated reason. Whether he likes it or not."  
  
There was a moment of silence, Niccolie looked into her eyes and she looked back. He felt some thing in his heart that he hadn't felt in a long time. An odd placed thump of life, it took him in a disturbing realization. He found his lungs empty of air, unable to speak.  
  
"Um," she said breaking the silence. "I am sorry, but I am sure there are more people I must meet, I am fairly new here, and Zephon says it is important I know everyone." She said in a strange tone like she regretted the meeting in some strange fashion.  
  
"Yes, I am sure you are right." Niccolie said like he was encouraging her.  
  
"I will see you around Niccolie." She said slowly walking out.  
  
"Indeed you will, the meeting," he reassured her.  
  
She was half way out when she stopped, turned her head and smiled at him. Then continued walking out in a slow smooth fashion.  
  
Niccolie finished his drink. And went to find shark.  
  
*****  
  
*Thunk*  
  
*Thunk*  
  
*Thunk*  
  
"STOP THAT!!! IT'S ANNOYING!!" Karie screamed.  
  
Everyone was inside the detention cell; a 15' by 10' steel box in the training grounds basement. as Punishment for sneaking out of training grounds many where sentenced to the detention cell for weeks at a time. Everyone was tired and pissed, one of the other training boys snitched on them. EL stood next to the wall, banging his head into it. Moemie lay on the bench, head to head with Karie. Ariel was in the middle of the cell picking at the string on her boot. Thresh and Vic where lying down on the other bench head to head. And Shila was sitting back to the door, wallowing in boredom.  
  
"Well" began EL  
  
*Thunk*  
  
"If Vic's..."  
  
*Thunk*  
  
"...Good friend..."  
  
*Thunk*  
  
"...Didn't snitch..."  
  
*Thunk*  
  
"...On us..."  
  
*Thunk*  
  
"...You wouldn't have..."  
  
*Thunk*  
  
"...To suffer..."  
  
*Thunk*  
  
"...Like me!"  
  
*Thunk*  
  
"You know El, you don't have to bang your head in to the wall if you are afraid of small rooms" said Vic.   
  
"It distracts me with pain rather then fear." Said EL continued his banging.  
  
"Where's your dad? Karie he'll get us out." said Ariel.  
  
"My dad probably will let us rot in here."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"He probably thinks it's safer in here."  
  
"There you go again about your dad and him trying to imprison you or some thing." Said Moemie with a groan.  
  
"Hump. Well some day I will show him. After all these years in training I could probably take any slayer who walked in here." Said Karie waving her fist in the air.  
  
"Well don't get to cocky. We already had one bad coincidence."  
  
"Yeah. I guess this was the day my dad felt it necessary to show up and let his daughter know he's still alive."  
  
"He seems like a friendly guy." Thresh paused "not"  
  
"No one really knows what he is really like Thresh. He is one of those ones who you cant tell any thing about. One moment Mr. Sunshine, next werewolf with no hair or so I have herded."  
  
"Yeah, what about those stories, about your dad being some kind of psycho." Said EL stopping for a moment "skinning his lessers and what not"  
  
"Well, my dad says it's mostly nonsense, just stories that go to far."  
  
"I herd he once cut out one of Turels eye balls." Ariel said grimly.  
  
"Well that's not Turel. Turel would have killed him." Thresh defended his clan leader.  
  
"Or it was some body else."  
  
"The only part I herd my dad say was true was that he does happen to lop off peoples heads when he rides. He says it's 'convenient' because he doesn't have to stoop down and cut them at the waste. He says all riders often do so."  
  
"Well, that has to be true, but these stories about massacres, and blood baths and all this gory, gut ranching, make you want to puke stuff seems to surround him a lot."  
  
"I am hungry," whined Arial at the thought of blood.  
  
"Well, we have...what? is this our third time? what is three times three days?" asked Shila  
  
"That's um...nine" thresh said the only one withg good math.  
  
"We have nine days in here, they feed us once every day. So it's like noon or lunchtime so, we wont expect it till tonight. And by the time this is done El will probably be dead or brain damaged" said Shila glumly.  
  
"Well, some time soon your dad will walk in here and scold the fangs off old teach." Said Moemie tying to get comfortable on the bench.  
  
Suddenly the doors pull open and Shila fell backwards. And found her self-looking up at Niccolie, shark and two other riders behind him.  
  
"Huh, hi" she said waving a hand at him from her place at his feet.  
  
Moemie got up in an instant.  
  
"I AM GOD!!!" she screamed while throwing her hands in the air.  
  
"Hum..." Niccolie stared at them for a moment "maybe I should come back later when you are all more settle." Niccolie said slowly closing the door.  
  
"NO!! Wait! we're settle. We're settling!" Said Karie toning down her voice.  
  
El jumped over to Niccolie and got down on his knees.  
  
"Please don't go, I hate this small tiny place."  
  
"Well, I guess I could get you out of here..." niccolie said as if he consider it himself.  
  
"Yes!!" everyone said.  
  
"...If Karie can beat me at my test."  
  
"No!!" everyone said. 


	6. chapter 6

Chapter 6  
  
**************************************************  
  
"Why are you doing this?" Karie asked her father as she balanced on two polls playfully. Niccolie and Karie weretwenty feet off the ground standing on a collection of skinny polls that extended form the gym floor. Niccolie maintained a prefect stand with out striving to stay balanced, with two sticks in his hands.  
  
"Well, I thought since you were so sure you could handle your self, I figured that you could should challenge a more difficult adversary." He said lifting up one stick to her. The object of this course was simple; you fight with sticks and try to knock the other person off the polls to the ground.  
  
Karie took the poll and moved to a more balanced position. Everyone was below watching the two.  
  
"GO!!" yelled the teacher and they began.  
  
Niccolie was quick; he flung the stick to her side, which Karie blocked. She knocked the stick away and trusted hers at him which he knocked away almost making her lose her grip. Karie struggled for a balance and made a swift struck upwards just missing Niccolies face as he shifted out of the way. She was about to bring another stroke down went she felt Niccolies stick tap her right leg gently.  
  
"You are not thinking of my moves, you are concentrating too hard on what YOU are doing, then what I am doing. I am going easy on you." He said moving the stick away from her leg.  
  
Karie felt a little embarrassed in front of her friends and quickly moved for a downward strike. But just as she was to do so she heard Niccolies words in her head, Niccolie moved for a quick shoulder height hit, but she blocked it just in time. He looked at her, almost amazed on how quickly she had learned. She took up a defensive stand and blocked his next hit. They went faster and Niccolie seemed to try a new hit every time. Suddenly he faked a hit and she tried to block it.  
  
*Thap* went the stick on Karie right leg   
  
Karie almost slipped off the poll, but used her stick as a brace against the pools to regain her balances.  
  
She stood balanced one again. Niccolie smiled at her with pride. Then he thrust his stick at her as she dodged it, then he swung it to the side and nicked her leg almost tipping her over the side. She knocked the stick aside fiercely then thrust her stick at him.  
  
*Clutch*  
  
Niccolie caught the stick with his hand and he and Karie began to push and pull the stick to push her over.   
  
"Gahh!! Let go!!" she yelled at him  
  
"No human would ever give you that privilege now would he?" Niccolie said with a laugh.  
  
Suddenly the stick was jerked forward with such speed it caught Niccolie off guard, he lost his balance. And dropped his stick as he struggled to get his balance back.  
  
When he did get his balance back he looked down were his stick was, the up at Karie who had her stick rested on her neck and with her arms resting on it.  
  
"Looks like you lost father." She said with a smile.  
  
"Well, you still have but to knock me down."  
  
"You got to be kidding me, you have no stick."  
  
" A soldier never gives up."  
  
"If you get mad at me for this, remember it's was your fault." She said getting her stick ready.  
  
She brought down a swing and he blocked it with his arm. She looked at him and moved again, he blocked it. They began to speed up, each move she made he blocked. Then she did a leg sweep and he jumped above the stick, but found himself falling backwards, his armor was giving him unbalenced waight as he lost his balance as he landed on the polls.  
  
He flapped his arms franticly to get his balance back.  
  
"I win" Karie said giving him a final nudge off the polls with the end of her stick.  
  
"Damn" Niccolie muttered as he fell off the polls, and to the ground in a twirling mess of tattered cape and armor.  
  
*THUD*   
  
He landed next to his stick. Karie looked down,  
  
"Dad are you ok?"  
  
Niccolie stood up. His back hurt, but nothing was broken. Being a vampire will do that to you.  
  
"YOUR LUCKLY I WENT EASY ON YOU!!" he yelled up at her.  
  
"Does that mean we don't spend the next week and a half in the detention cell?" asked EL.  
  
"Yes" he muttered rubbing his ass.  
  
Everyone cheered as Karie razed her stick in victory. The cheering went on for several minutes.  
  
"What a shame." Said a familiar voice behind Niccolie.  
  
He turned around to see Kyla leaning against one of the walls.  
  
"She is my daughter, I had to let her win." Said Niccolie Turning to Karie as she yelled in victory to her friends.  
  
"Daughter? Is there such a thing in this world of vampires?"  
  
"Yes, we are all related through clan, but Karie is my birth daughter."  
  
"How is that possible?"  
  
"It's a long story, and this isn't the place to tell it." Niccolie approached her.  
  
"Well some time I will wish to hear it."  
  
"Why have you come, lady Kyla?"  
  
"Zephon just got some urgent news, he is having the meeting early."  
  
"Now?"   
  
"Yes, now."  
  
The two quickly left the training grounds. And hurried to the meeting room. Zephon and his other lieutenants were waiting.  
  
"Good, you found him. I was afraid you might have left to do some thing else." Zephon said as he quickly sat down on his throne.  
  
"What is this new news?" Niccolie asked as he took the fist lieutenants stand  
  
"The humans are finally joining forces, mostly due to the destruction of Willendorf. The humans have gone into shock and are finally assembling in a massive army near the plains to the north, we think they be planning an attack on one of the other clans cities. But a trader came in last night and said he saw some human movement not far from here."  
  
"That must be nonsense when I road in I saw no sign of life out there." Niccolie reconfirmed  
  
"I was not finished, lord Kain has decide to act upon this as a full scale war. He wants to form the clans in to one single army, temporarily of course, No more little battles and clan conflics. So a week from now we will be going to our capital. For a meeting of the clans."  
  
"Were is this capital you speak of? I never knew we had a capital." Asked Kyla  
  
"I never told you were it was for Safety reasons. Lord Kain has made the pillars of Nosgoth the capital for the empire."  
  
"The pillars!!??" everyone yelled in the room.  
  
"Yes, the humans don't know it yet, but we have placed some heavy defensive forces there. It is where Kain lives. As I was saying however, we will have a clan meeting, all the clan leaders and their lieutenants are to attend and there we will meet with Kain. I request those of you who have operations outside of the clan territories bring them in or shut them down. Because Kain said that we will no longer have to watch and study our assigned targets. It's time to move forward with the empire."  
  
"I have to talk to Rahab about his plan for the abbey." Niccolie pointed out "we will have to plan for some other time"   
  
"Go and tell him you aren't available. Because Kain has plans for you too."  
  
"He does?"  
  
"Yes, kain wants you to lead all the cavalry units with Raziel's first and seconded lieutenants, you are to depart as soon as possible to give the unified cavalry unit a crash coarse on your battle strategy."  
  
"What!" Niccolie was in shock his entire schedule had been thrown out the window.  
  
"If you have a problem, take it up with kain. Just tell Rahab you are busy, while you are doing that, tell him that my plans for his spear weapons are cancelled till I am finished with the plans kain has for me."  
  
"What plans for you?"  
  
"Some thing to do with Melchiah and his brood. all the news all of you have, report it now."  
  
One by one each lieutenant reported. Stating with Niccolie.  
  
"Nothing of interest." He said plainly.  
  
Niccolie looked around at the lieutenants and noticed that Kyla was looking back at him, with eager eyes. He looked back at her and raised an eyebrow.  
  
She smiled and stretched her neck and ran her hand across it slowly. For obvious reasons vampires happen to be attracted to necks, and Niccolie was unsure what to think of it. It had been a long time since any one had flirted with him, almost a ten years. He looked at her and made a look of interested with a smile.   
  
"Nothing of interest" she said with out taking her eyes off Niccolie as the lieutenant next to her finished reporting.  
  
She ran her hand down the other side of her neck and smiled at him.  
  
Niccolie smiled back.  
  
"Niccolie?" said Zephon breaking the trance.  
  
"Huh? What?" niccolie studdered  
  
"I said, go tomorrow and tell Rahab you can't make it for his plans and tell him about me canceling the project." He said in an irritated tone.  
  
"Um, yes sir," said Niccolie trying to get his wits strait.  
  
"All right then, dismissed." Said Zephon and the lieutenants walked out, by lowest rank to highest. Kyla walked out and winked at Niccolie as she left the room. Niccolie left once the seconded lieutenant left.  
  
Once out side the room he quickly looked about for Kyla. She was nowhere in sight.   
  
He looked around. Suddenly he saw something move down at the end of the hallway. He went after it and ended up at the side of the other hall that leads to the lieutenants' rooms. He looked around and heard something at the end of the room. He slowly walked down the hall. Suddenly some one grabbed him and pulled him aside.  
  
It was Kyla, she smiled at him.  
  
"Kyla I. *smufff*"  
  
His words were drowned out as she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him. The kiss seemed to last forever. She finally pulled away and seemed shocked at what she did. Niccolie wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close to him and looked her in the eyes.  
  
Then they kissed again and every thing seemed to blur around Niccolie.  
  
*********************************************************  
  
That night.  
  
"So he just ran off?" asked Ariel.  
  
Everyone sat at his or her table in the blood fountain room. Quietly sipping their blood.  
  
"I think he had to go to the meeting." Said Thresh  
  
"Or maybe he was embarrassed that he lost to you" added Shila  
  
"Could be anything, he is a very busy person." Said Karie sipping her drink. "Maybe he will consider slacking off on the 'must protect you' attitude."  
  
"Come on Karie he could have easily knocked you down, several times I might add" said Moemie.  
  
"Well at lest I showed him I won't turn from a fight." Karie reassured herself.  
  
EL walked in to the room with the chess bored. And sat down across from thresh.  
  
"I just got some interesting news floating around the hall." He said setting up the pieces  
  
"What is that?"  
  
"There is going to be a big meeting with all the clan leaders a few days from now. All the clan leaders and their lieutenants are going to meeting with lord kain."  
  
"Are you serious," Momie stood up in shock  
  
"That's what I heard"  
  
"It's going to be a mess, too may clans have grudges against each other. Including the Zephonim and the Turelim" Trash was quick to point out.  
  
"We will see, this may be the only way to end the clanconflics." Said Moemie sipping her blood.  
  
"Well it also could create a civil-clan war." Thresh sounded worried  
  
"No, I also hear it is a meeting of war. Lord kain wants to form the clans together to create the ultimate vampire army. He wants the clans to work together under his rule to take down the humans in one sweep."  
  
"Lord kain overestimates the humans I think." thresh pondered  
  
"Or he just really hates them." Karie stated the obvious  
  
"Well, I don't feel like I want to join this war." Thresh added nervously.  
  
"Sometime we will all have part in it, I feel." shila mumbled  
  
"Check mate!" said EL moving his piece   
  
"Damn" thresh cursed quietly and began resetting the pieces.  
  
"Yeah, I hear the recruiters are coming too" EL got back to the subject.  
  
"Great, I am war bait" thresh moaned.  
  
"Well I heard your father is leaving too. It gives us an opportunity to...ahum...'explore'," said EL looking up from his game  
  
"Are you crazy or just plain stupid?"karie asked  
  
"Come on Karie you beat your dad, you're a fully-fledged worrier now." Shila nudged her.  
  
"Maybe tomorrow, but I really wouldn't want another day with my dad."  
  
"Well, Karie I am with EL we didn't get to have all our fun out side these training walls."  
  
"Yeah, ...oh" EL moved his piece "check mate."  
  
"DAMN!" thresh slammed his fist on the table.  
  
Everyone laughed as the night rolled on. 


	7. chapter 7

CHAPTER 7  
  
****  
  
Darkness. Ghosts of screaming victims.   
  
"What horrid place is this" Niccolie asked in to the darkness  
  
"This is a place of your making Niccolie. A land of your actions." Said a voice he never truly knew.  
  
"Show your self!!" Niccolie screamed into the darkness.  
  
Out of the darkness they came, hundreds and hundreds of them, bloody men and women with open wounds and amputated arms flowing to him like a wave.  
  
"Leave me be tortured souls!!!" Niccolie screamed backing away.  
  
"We come for you Niccolie!!" said the heaping mass of blood and gore.  
  
They surrounded him and began to claw at him. Niccolie fought desperately to get free but they were too many. They screamed at him and smeared their blood-covered hands over him. They griped him and began to pull him into them like quick sand. Deeper and deeper into the blood he sank until it was at his neck and he could see them face to face and then...  
  
Niccolie eyes opened with a gasp. He was in a bed. The soft light of dawn shined through the dark stain glass windows. He was naked, a soft sheet covered him And Kyla clung quietly to him, her hands wrapped around his chest and her black blue hair blended into his pitch-black hair.  
  
Her soft skin pressed close to his.  
  
Niccolie looked around with out moving, he was confused for a moment then He began to realize what had happened. The bloody ghouls were a mere dream that came with sleep. Niccolie did not sleep. But it was real enough to him; it had a meaning he did not want to remember.  
  
He looked at Kyla; she lay in soft slumber next to him, with an expression of peace on her face, as if life was made simple once again.  
  
Niccolie brushed away the hair covering her peaceful face. She let out a soft moan and opened her eyes.  
  
"Humm?" she said with out opening her mouth.  
  
He smiled at her, she smiled back.  
  
"You seemed to wake up in a startle, bad dreams?" she asked.  
  
"Not first time they have came to Me." he said leaning ageist the wall behind him.  
  
Kyla looked at him with an odd expression.  
  
"I never sleep. But this dream meant some thing"  
  
"Most dreams don't mean any thing."  
  
"This one does."  
  
He looked around the room. It seemed to be a simple place, filled with relics of passed memories. A Sarafan sword here, a crystal ball there. Simple things of the past.  
  
"What time is it?" Said Niccolie rubbing his eyes.  
  
"It is dawn,"  
  
'I must go." Said Niccolie slowly getting out of the bed.  
  
"You sound worried. Is some thing a miss?'   
  
"Zephon wanted me to ride to Rahab."  
  
"You still have lots of time." She said move up to him and pulling him back in to the bed. Niccolie lay down and she put his head beside hers and ran her fingers through his hair.   
  
"You seem so sad." She said as she stopped and made a face of pity  
  
"Maybe I am."  
  
"I heard so much about you, I thought you would be a monster. But the night I met you...you were none of what I heard. You seemed lost, lost in your own misery."  
  
"And you pitied me?"  
  
"Indeed, you reminded me of my self."  
  
Niccolie got up and looked around the room. He saw his armor and hers were in a clutter in the middle of the floor next to the bed. He moved to it and sat down to pick his armor out. Kyla went next to him and watched him.  
  
"Do you love your work so much?" she asks as Niccolie picked out his swords.  
  
"No, I just make sure it gets done."  
  
"Is their someone else?"  
  
Niccolie paused for a moment and looked at his hand, his wedding ban was still there. He fingered it.  
  
"No, not for a long time." He said as he continued to pick out his armor.  
  
"Tell me Niccolie, how did you come to be." She asked   
  
"It is a story I don't wish to tell." He said slipping on his pants  
  
"What about your daughter, how did she come to be?"  
  
"I don't want to discus...*bonk*...GRAH!" Niccolie fell backwards into the bed as he bonked his head on the bed roof.   
  
"That must have hurt." Kyla said as he rubbed her hand on his head.  
  
"a disavantage of being tall, and having long hair." he said trying to get up.  
  
"Why don't you cut it off?"  
  
"That would be like taking a memory away, I would forget who I am and what I was. My hair reminds me to respect what I once was, a vampire slayer." he said pushing his hair back  
  
"I can fix that," she said as she got up and took the sheet with her to a small box on a table. She opened it up and took a wood needle and some dark colored string. And then she came back and sat behind Niccolie and put his head in to her lap.  
  
"What are you doing?" asked Niccolie  
  
"I am weaving your hair tight to your head so that it will not bother your eyes." She said combing through his hair and selecting a lock of it.  
  
"That would change the way I looked," he said  
  
"It may, but you will still have your slayers hair."  
  
In the beginning, if you wanted to become a vampire slayer to the order of the Sarafan, they would cut off all your hair as a symbol of the beginning of your 'holy' life. The length of your hair meant the length of time you were a slayer. The oldest and more important men would have long hair to their shoulder and farther down. The vampire slayers of Niccolies day did the same. Niccolie served twenty five years as a slayer before he was turned into the one thing he slayed and thus his hair stop growing.  
  
Kyla took the lock of hair and weaved it in to a braided. she did it rather quickly. Then she did another.  
  
"We have time now"; she said, "Will you tell me of how you and your daughter came to be?"  
  
"You are a curious woman, lady Kyla"  
  
"I want to know were you began before you got lost in life and before getting lost with me in my bed."   
  
Niccolie looked up at her and she smiled.  
  
"Ok, but tell me were you are from first" Niccolie said  
  
Kyla let out a sigh and then lead forward and kissed Niccolie on the forehead.  
  
"I was a daughter of a family blood line that was form one of the greatest of the Sarafan priests warriors. One day when I was out with my mother, Zephon came to us. He told us that if we wanted to live we would have to tell him were we buried our great grandfather, who was once was the Fith general of the sarifan army. We told him 'no' and he killed my mother. I tried to kill him but he was too strong. I was really little at the time, I guess he felt a little guilty and he decided to let me go. When I got home and told everyone what happed. but they turned on me and accused me of killing my mother or becoming a vampire or some thing I can remember. So they tried to kill me. They tried to burn me to be exact. But Zephon came and rescued me. With my family out to kill me and no were to go Zephon pitied me and adopted me, raised me, and taught me to be what I am. Like a father would. I think he regrets the fact that it was his fault it happened. I feel that now and then he wants to ask for forgiveness, but doesn't have the strength to do so."  
  
"But he raised you as a human, and you are now a vampire."  
  
"Yes, once I got to the age of twenty seven he turned me into a vampire."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Huh, I don't really know. Maybe he didn't want to see me grow old and die. Or he couldn't handle the fact that his adopted daughter would look older then him. His motives I still don't know."  
  
"Didn't you resisted, becoming a vampire I mean?"  
  
"No, not really, maybe as the person who took care of me and treated me as his own I probably felt that he was doing what was best for me."  
  
"And that's it?"  
  
"Yep, pretty much, I had a large amount of training from Zephon and spent the rest of my time at Zephons other cities. Then one day he said he need a lieutenant, and asked me and I took it"  
  
"It is sad how you came to be."  
  
"It is just fate, you cant change it, you can't blame it, you can't blame it on any one. Not even Zephon."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Well if it I never went out with my mother, Zephon would never had found us, and he wouldn't have killed my mother. But what he would do is killing some one else, perhaps my father, or me."  
  
"But he killed your mother, don't you feel the need for revenge."  
  
"Revenge is for those who cant handle the pain. Even if you kill the person you will still have that pain, knowing you only can kill them once and they will make you suffer forever even after they are dead, makes it seem so unjustified. I have seen Zephon; he feels more pain for what he has done then I ever will. For him that's suffering, knowing he killed an unarmed mother and found him self rising her child as his own. Knowing that he made a unresonable mistake. That will be with him forever. Unless I kill him. So he lives, I live, we both suffer, but the hurt goes away after you know that it's ok. Then you find your self pitying him for his suffering."  
  
Niccolie was quite he looked out the window and found that what she said was true. Now third years after his wife death he found he still hated the people that killed his wife, and they were all long gone.  
  
"Now what about you." She said with a little cheer in her voice  
  
"I don't like to talk about my beginnings."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"To painful and you probably wouldn't really understand."  
  
"Well, all the more reason to tell it."  
  
"No"  
  
"Fine tell me about how your daughter came to be."  
  
"That I can tell. It isn't as bad as my past at least."  
  
Niccolie told Kyla about how he became a vampire and watched over Karie through his undead life. And how he was finally discovered by his wife and how she met her fate.  
  
"I am sorry" Kyla said as he told her about his wife. Kyla sounded guilty at what she brought between him and his wife.  
  
"It's ok, she would have hated to see me like I was before. In fact she probably would have done the same"  
  
"Did you love her?"  
  
"Very much."  
  
"Do you miss her?"  
  
"No,"  
  
"Why don't you miss her?"  
  
"She would have hated me for bring her and Karie in to this life, I would not want her to live this horrible life with me. Karie, even now I feel some form of resentment for mty action and what I have done"  
  
"I don't believe that is true."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because you are trying to blame your self. You are trying to say is that you hate your self for what you brought them into."  
  
She was right. Niccolie did hate himself. If Zephon never had said what he would do if Niccolie ended his own life, Niccolie would have.  
  
"I guess you are right. Maybe because she is in a better place then here, I don't miss her."  
  
"But you do miss her, you still ware your ring."  
  
"It's a reminder."  
  
"I am sorry for her"  
  
"Why?"  
  
"She lost a good man"  
  
Niccolie was quite for a moment. Kyla stopped braiding and began to weave the string thought his hair.  
  
"So," he said finishing off the story "me and Karie escaped, then she wanted to become a vampire and wa-la we were a family of vampires."  
  
"Interesting." She said pulling tight the string that stiffed Niccolies hair to cling to his head.  
  
"Where did you learn the hair tricks?"  
  
"I lived in a family of vampire slayers. They all compliant of the hair getting in their eyes like you, every damn day."  
  
"Hummm" Niccolie chuckled, remembering the clumsiness of an army of rag headed slayers.  
  
"This will make it so your hair never moves, it sticks to your head." She pulled the last string and tightened it.   
  
"It's finished."  
  
Niccolie shook his head and found that his hair did not swing side to side. In fact he got the sensation he had no hair at all.  
  
"It is nice," he said.  
  
Kyla got up and dragged the sheets with her to the table and pulled out a mirror. And walked to Niccolie abd sat on his lap and looked at him.  
  
"You know, maybe I should just braided it in to a ponytail." She said with a laugh.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"You look more um...tougher then before." she said a little sarcasticly  
  
"I thought you said I looked lost?"  
  
"Well, you did look like some one who spent too much time on the battle field too." she corrected him.  
  
Niccolie eyes her, she was hidding something, a glitter of amusment was in her eye.  
  
"Give me that mirror!" he snarled   
  
She refused and he wrestled her down to the bed to get it as she laughed hysterically. He got the mirror and he looked in to it. His hair was stretched back and the braids were split into selections as they went back. And where they stopped at the back of his head they stabbed out like poky pine needles some what like cornrows meets porkipine. He looked somewhat clownish and somewhat eerily scary. He tried to smile, Kyla blushed and exploded into laughter, as his face had a psychotic clown killer look.   
  
He turned and looked at her.  
  
"Do I look funny when I smile?" he asked intently with out looking in the mirror.  
  
"No, you look good." She lied.  
  
Niccolie smiled at her and she fell back laughing out loud. He looked in the mirror as he smiled.  
  
"I look like a killer clown!" he said smiling at the mirror.  
  
"It's ok," said Kyla trying not to laugh. "You don't smile any way."  
  
Niccolie turned to her and grabbed her into his arms. He looked at her in the eyes.  
  
"I smile when I am with you." He said.  
  
She smiled, he smiled back, and she fell back laughing.   
  
Niccolie kissed her and she stopped laughing. But then just for fun, he smiled at her again and she went in to another laughing fit. Niccolie got up and put on his upper body armor and Kyla helped him strap it down. She put on her under clothing and wrapped the sheet around her to keep warm.  
  
Niccolie was walking out and Kyla stopped him to give long kiss.  
  
"Don't tell Zephon about this." She said after the kiss.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Well, because he has some rules about lieutenants getting 'involved' with each other. And he is like my father so I am sure you get the Idea."  
  
"I won't tell any one, but the hair is obvious."  
  
"Just say that I told you about the hair thing and you asked."  
  
"I will"  
  
"And don't smile around your men, they may not take you seriously."  
  
"that will definetly be noted."  
  
Niccolie was walking away, and he stopped and turned around. And looked a Kyla leaning on the doorway watching him walk away.  
  
"Lady Kyla, it was a lovely evening"  
  
"Your welcome"  
  
"I think I am finding my way."  
  
"The lost are always finding their way. Niccolie."  
  
He smiled, she smiled back trying not to laugh but with not much success.   
  
Then Niccolie left. 


	8. chapter 8

CHAPTER 8  
  
****  
  
Niccolie walked down the hallways, everyone he passed had made strange faces like they were waching a red elephant juggling circus balls, a common effect he gave off, but it was different this time they ran away to laugh in some closet or some thing. He, on the other hand felt somewhat refreshed like he had some weight lifted of his shoulders. He walked down to the main hall, and then down to the blood fountain rooms. He pushed open the doors automatically the commotion ceased. Everyone in the room looked at him and their eyes grew big in amazment. He had his normal flat face on, the face he had on all the time until he met Kyla.  
  
"Captain nick?" asked one of the younger riders.  
  
"Don't ask," he said flatly in an angry tone.  
  
"Shark, Karven, Masa and Moko come with me." said Niccolie.  
  
The four got up and finished their drinks. They were Niccolies most trusted men, Shark being his first and right hand man. Shark was the only one Niccolie trusted his personal issues with.  
  
All four of them fallowed Niccolie to the horse salts.  
  
"Were are we headed," asked moko.  
  
"To Rahabs, I have to deliver some massages"  
  
The four got on to their horses and road out. To be on his horse again, it felt different. The cool wind was nice. Twenty minutes they rounded the gulch and ran out on to the green hills of the plains a head of them was the forest.  
  
"Captain!" Niccolie reared his horse and turned around To see karven pointing at a burned out campsite.  
  
Niccolie went down and checked it out. The dirt was torn up where tents were posted and the campfire was burnt out but still had warm coals.  
  
Niccolie was quite from moment, why would humans make camp in vampire territory? Then he passed his eyes over a sharpening stone on the ground next to the fire.   
  
"Oh no" he gasped  
  
"What is it Niccolie?" shark trotted up next to him  
  
"A slayer camp."  
  
"A slayer what! Here!!" shark yelped in suprse "why would they be all the way out here?"  
  
"They must be going for the city." Of course! Why not? a meeting of the most powerful of Zephonim clan. A prefect opportunity to wipe out a vampire bloodline!  
  
"HA!!!" Niccolie yelled as he slammed his spurs in to Black rains sides.  
  
He charged down the hill and road hard to the gulch. His men scurried to keep up just a few feet behind him.  
  
****  
  
"I thought you said my dad was leaving!!!" whined Karie as she saw a bunch of riders strool pass.  
  
"Well, I don't see him." El said  
  
"If his riders are here, HE is here!!!"  
  
Karie, and EL squabbled at the doors to the city, Moemie, Ariel and Vic stood next to them. Shila and thresh Where in the in the blood room.   
  
"Look!! Karie, your dads not going to kill you." Moemie tried to convince her every thing was fine.  
  
"But boy will HE be mighty pissed" EL pointed out  
  
"Look what could possibly go..."  
  
*BOOM!!!* The doors suddnely banged open.  
  
"...Wrong" moemies voice faded.  
  
Vampire slayers swarmed in and the guards screamed, "attack! attack!"  
  
Karie for a moment stood still and watched as the vampire slayers stabbed a spear in to one of the guards and lifted him off the ground.  
  
Suddenly she felt an arm grab her and pull her back.  
  
"Move woman!" screamed the guard that pulled her back.  
  
A vampire slayer ran up to him screaming and he stood in front of Karie.   
  
They threw each other blows, but it was clear to Karie who would be the victor. The slayer was fresh from the battlefield and awake with experience, the guard had been out of action for many years.  
  
*Shink* a swift blow and the guards head rolled to Karies feet.  
  
She felt like barfing, But suddenly the slayer turned to her and raised his sword.  
  
*Swif* he lashed out but Karie jumped back in time.  
  
*Swif* again now faster, she jumped back.  
  
*Swif* again she dodged.  
  
"DIE VAMPIRE!!" he screamed   
  
*Swif*  
  
*swift*  
  
*Think* this time he missed and it got stuck in one of the stone supports.  
  
"Eat THIS!!!" said Karie kicking him down to the ground.  
  
The slayer hit the ground with a groan and Karie turned her attention to the sword.  
  
"Uh!" she pulled on the sword but it was stuck tight.  
  
*Thwick* came the sound as a blade flew through the air.  
  
"AHHH!!!" She screamed as a throwing knife stuck into her leg.  
  
The vampire slayer got up and Karie backed away dragging her painful leg.  
  
*Shink* he pulled out his sword and twirled it in his hands.  
  
"Too bad scum." He said raising his sword.  
  
"Yeah, too bad." Came Vics voice from his side.  
  
*Crack* the vampire slayer fell to the ground with one punch.  
  
Vic stood next to him and picked up the sword. He looked at Karie.  
  
"Thanks" she said. "Ahgh!" she pulled out the throwing knife.  
  
"Where is Moemie?" Vic asked looking about.  
  
"Die vampire!!!"   
  
*Shink*  
  
"AHGHH!!" Screamed Vic as a sword lashed across his back.  
  
"VIC!!" karie screamed  
  
A black armored vampire slayer stood over him. karie felt a shiver to terror run down her spine. the black armor, the fearom eyes, the battle hungery roar. it was like witnessing her father in his vampire slaying days. the armor was of the same desgin, only exception was that her mother was not idolized over the brest plate. a fearful relization of what her father once did paralized her mind. but then as she saw Vic wounded on the ground she felt a uncontolable hate boil up in her body, the infomas Lehethess bloodline signiture gene of rage and fury.  
  
"YOU BASTARED!!" screamed Karie as she threw the throwing knife at him.  
  
*Clink* he caught the knife   
  
"Pitiful!!" he mocked.  
  
"AAAHH!!!" Moemie jumped on him from behind and he jerked in surprise.  
  
"GET OFF ME SCOURGE!!" he yelled dropping the throwing knife.  
  
He reached up and grabbed Moemie by the hair. She screamed and he flung her off him. But EL ran up and stabbed him in his side with the throwing knife.  
  
"HHHAAAGHHH!!" the slayer roared  
  
"HOW DOES THAT FEEL?!" EL pushed the knife deeper  
  
"YOU LITTLE..."  
  
*CRACK* EL flew back as he was backhanded. He turned to Moemie and lifted his sword up above his head.  
  
"NOOO!" screamed Karie, her body surged with power and she tackled him like a angery bull slamming him into the ground. She sat on top of him and punched his face with all her strength, shattering his jaw and knocking him out. Karie got up and took his sword and trusted it down ward into his chest.  
  
*Shink* he coughed up some blood then laid his head back, dead.  
  
"KARIE LOOK OUT!!" Screamed Moemie as another slayer ran up to her, sword rose above his head.  
  
"THAT'S NOT NICE!!!" came a hideous roar as a pair of Threshes big hands grabbed him and slammed him into a stone support, smashing the mans spine to pieces.  
  
Karie suddenly heard the sound of feet running up behind her, she spun around with the sword ready, But she quickly stopped as it was Shila, who had a cut on her face and a bloody sword in her hands, helped Moemie up.  
  
The slayers were all over the place. Vic was on the ground bleeding, EL was still spinning from the hit and Ariel was missing.  
  
"SIR IT'S HIM!!!" screamed some one through the raving of the battle.   
  
"LOCK THE DOORS!!! DON'T LET HIM IN!!!!" screamed an older voice. Karie glanced to the doors to see five men on horses charging towered the doors, swords drawn.  
  
The doors slammed shut and the slayers moved the bolt it to place.  
  
"Karie it's your dad!!' said Moemie watching the men bolt the doors.  
  
"Die spawns"   
  
*Sturk*   
  
"AGH!!!!!" Thresh cried as a spear was thrusted into his chest.  
  
****  
  
"Captain! they locked the door on us!!!!" yelled shark. Niccolie looked around desperately. A way in. ANY way in. suddenly he saw a window that was close to the ground.   
  
"FALLOW ME!!!" roared Niccolie. And he slammed his spurs in to black rain and she reared up and charged at the window.  
  
*Krish!!! * Glass slatted across him.  
  
He looked around it was utter confusion vampires and slayers swarming among each there.   
  
"HA" he galloped through the crowed. Running over any thing in his path.  
  
*Shink* he lopped of a head.  
  
*Shink* an arm  
  
*Shink* a head.  
  
It seemed easy now he could see every thing with his hair weaved tightly. Suddenly he saw a small familiar girl run out of the crowed screaming with a slayer chasing her.  
  
He knew her; she was one of Karies friends.  
  
He charged the horse down on them.  
  
*Shink* the slayers head rolled off it's body.  
  
He road in front of her.  
  
"Give me your hand!!' he said reaching for her with his, she took it and he pulled her on to the horse.  
  
"Hold on tight and close your eyes!!" he said as he dug his spurs into black rain.  
  
They ran through the crowed looking for Karie. He couldn't find her. He charged and lopped the slayers to pieces.  
  
*Swip* *Swip* *Swip* *Swip* he sliced threw the slayers  
  
Ariel screamed suddenly and Niccolie lost control of the horse as a slayer caught it with a spear. Black rain screamed and stumbled to the ground. The two fell to the ground but Niccolie quickly got up and raised his swords as a slayer threw a downward blow.  
  
Niccolie cut off his legs and looked around. He saw Ariel with two arrows in her back,That's went he noticed the pain of the other two in his back. He ran up to her and picked her up.  
  
He grabbed on to her with a death grip.  
  
"Oh!!! It hurts!! It hurts!!" she said in an almost crying tone.  
  
"DAD!!" he heard Karie scream, yet he could not see her.  
  
"Damn it didn't kill him!!" said a slayer reloading his cross bow.  
  
"Well THIS will" said Niccolie throwing a dagger into his face.  
  
The man dropped dead to the ground and Niccolie put Ariel down, who now had gone very quite, and pulled out his combat sword. He picked Ariel up and charged in to the mass of fighting bodies. He must had have killed twenty people before he finally found Moemie, Karie and EL fighting one slayer.  
  
"You three are weak!!" said the slayer as fended them off.  
  
"DIE WELP!" Roared Niccolie as he raised his blade.  
  
the slayer turned, but didn't get the chance to scream.  
  
*Shink* Niccolie gave him such a blow that it cut through his armor like a hot knife through butter. The slayer fell to the ground, vertically cut in half.  
  
"Oh my god! Ariel!!!" screamed Karie as see instantly saw her.  
  
"Put her over there, she will be safe." Niccolie handed Ariel to Karie.  
  
"OH MY GOD!! YOUR HAIR!!!" screamed Karie again.  
  
"Shut up!! And used that sword!!!" he roared at her trying to denture her from his new look. Niccolie looked around. Thresh was moaning in pain as he leaned against a support pillar, Vic was on the ground in a puddle of blood, And Shila was clutching her stomach, which was pouring out blood.  
  
"Dad, you have arrows in you back!" Karie pointed out.  
  
Niccolie mostly irritated by the situation broke them off leaving the heads with a little bit of stick sticking out of his back  
  
"Sir, we need to find lord Zephon!!!" said Shark still on horse back.  
  
"I will do that," said Niccolie pulling out his riding sword. "You protect my kids."  
  
"Their all yours?"  
  
"They are now!!" said Niccolie running down the hall to Zephons quarters.  
  
The older vampires had done a good job of killing most of the vampire slayers here, but most had moved to the opening to fight more of the slayers forgetting their posts to guard lord Zephon and the lieutenants.  
  
Niccolie ran up the stairs and a slayer with a crossbow shot at him from the top of the staircase. But one throwing knife latter Niccolie was holding the crossbow and running down the hall.  
  
He ran down the hall then heard some move meant behind him. Some one lifted a sword and he innately moved his sword behind his back.   
  
*Clink* the swords hit and Niccolie spun around.  
  
*Crack* and punched the person to the ground.  
  
He aimed the crossbow at its head and suddenly noticed the dark blue hair and dark red lips.  
  
"Kyla!" he said in shock and embarrassment quickly moving the cross bow form her head.  
  
"I think I still Am." She said getting up dazed and wiping the blood from a cut above her eyebrow.  
  
"Why were you trying to kill me?"  
  
"Well, somebody was running around with a vampire slaying cross bow. And it's dark if you haven't noticed. Obviously you would do the same seeing you threw a hard one for my face before you had even seen it."  
  
"I'm sorry," he said in his most sincere tone with a kiss to her.  
  
"It's ok," she smiled "I have had much worst. Me and the other lieutenants waiting around killing anything that comes by. The guards ditched out to fight down below."  
  
"Where is Zephon?"  
  
"I don't know, last I checked he was in the meeting room. Slayers went down that area, to many for me and the other lieutenants to take on."  
  
"What!! You didn't stop them!"   
  
"We didn't have a choice, we were out numbered and they were screaming for Zephon to open the door or some thing."  
  
"I am going after them."   
  
"are you crazy? there are fifteen or more of them, too many for one man!" she said worry high in her voice.  
  
"but it's my duty,i will bring them my Wrath" niccolie hurried down the hall.  
  
"Wait I am going with you."  
  
Niccolie and Kyla ran down the halls and were joined by the second and third lieutenants. When they waked up the meeting room they saw the doors were open.  
  
They slowly walked up to the doors. They heard a horse breathing sound. They tapped open the doors.  
  
"Come in everything is fine" came Zephons voice calmly from the room.   
  
Niccolie pushed the door open. Zephon stood in the middle of the room with a blood filled wine glass. eighteen bodies of vampire slayers lay on the ground. And one that was leaning against the wall in front of Zephon, with his throat ripped out and his windpipe hanging out, sucking air in and out.  
  
"Zephon, I didn't know you could..."  
  
"Please Niccolie, Kain wouldn't make me one of his 'sons' if I was weak and defenseless as you think." He said sipping the blood."By the way this is the vampire slayer parties leader. His name is Torock. But he will not tell me who told them how to get in here through my secrete passage."  
  
"What secret passage?" Niccolie asked preplexed  
  
"You don't know where it is, Mostly because you rarely ever come to the meetings. But some one did tell them about it and I want to know who."  
  
"Why would some one want to turn on us and try to kill everyone?"  
  
"That's what I want to know. Nice hair by the way." he said emotionlessly.  
  
"Um yeah, Kyla did it for me."  
  
"Reeeally?" he said sarcastic razing an eyebrow toward Kyla.  
  
"His hair came up in a discussion we had when you showed me to him, I offer him a solution."  
  
"Hummm, try smile." Zephon said with a grin  
  
"Um...no. Back to the traitor thing." Niccolie wasn't in the mood to be laugh at.  
  
"Had to be some one close, maybe one of your men, hell, any one of higher rank could have told. Niccolie you weren't here when we built it so you don't know. Kyla, you I could question but I high doubt you would do such a thing."  
  
"I find it insulating, you would mark me as a possible traitor to the one person who saved my life more times then I can remember." Kyla crossed her arms a little upset  
  
"I maybe overreacting" Zephon said trying to sound sorry. "As for the rest of you, I will be watching..."  
  
The door busted open and a vampire ran in.  
  
"What?" said Zephon sipping his blood.  
  
"We have killed all the slayers, in the main hall, the entrance and the blood rooms sir, but there may be some running around still."  
  
"Do a complete search of the whole city, and I want a casualty list."  
  
"Yes sir." And he left.  
  
"Where are my last two lieutenants?" Zephon asked...seeing he only had four.  
  
"We don't' know." Said the second lieutenant  
  
"Well..." Zephon bent down to the leader slayer, grabbed his arm and squeezed it till blood flowed out of a cut on his wrist into his glass. When it was full he turned to Niccolie and the others. "...Find them, pair up. Kyla stay here. I need to talk with you."  
  
Niccolie went with the second lieutenant.  
  
"Where should we start?" he asked.  
  
"Lets try their rooms." They walked down the halls to the rooms where they found fifth lieutenant. On the ground with a sword through him. He looked as if he was surprised; his eyes frozen wide open in a death shock. Later they met with the other lieutenants. Who found the sixth wandering around the library. It's seemed suspicious.   
  
Niccolie went down to the main hall were all the injured where. He found Karie, Moemie, and EL sitting next to Vic, thresh, Ariel, and Shila who all on beds. He found shark doing the best to help them.   
  
"How is every one?" niccolie asked them  
  
"My back hurts like hell," said Vic in a soft wiry tone.  
  
"They were all very, very, luckily." Said shark handing Niccolie the two arrows that hit Ariel. They were bloody and seemed to go half way in. bit lucky they missed their mark, which would be the head or heart. That reminded Niccolie about his arrows.   
  
"The worst is her," shark said pointing to Shila who had bandage rapped around her waste. "She took a blade, but managed to kill the guy before he got it all the way through.  
  
"Good job shark, you have no idea what you have done for Me." he patting shark on the shoulder.  
  
"And what about lord Zephon?" shark asked.  
  
"I underestimated him"  
  
niccolie kneed down next to Karie.  
  
"Are you ok?" he asked  
  
"If funny you know" she said " went you spend all those hours listening to people talk about fighting, and killing and battling like they know what they are talking about...then you get into this and you realize its all bullshit."  
  
"I know, it's like they don't know what they are talking about."  
  
"Yeah. Like that."  
  
Niccolie got up and began to walk away when Karie turned around.  
  
"Hay dad"  
  
"Yes, Karie?"  
  
"What the HELL happed to your hair?"  
  
Everyone including Shark turned to hear the answer.  
  
"I uh...I felt that it got in the way, so I asked some one a favor to fix it."  
  
"Hay, try smile" El asked  
  
"NO!" niccolie flinched, and then paused. "Ahh, what the hell..."  
  
Niccolie gave one great big smile and walked off as everyone laughed.  
  
He walked to the infirmary were he saw Kyla getting some attention for her cut. He sat down next to her.  
  
"it was close" she said "the slayers were all armed with annointed weapons and they knew all the routs in the city."  
  
"we vastly underestimated them...and we paid for it dearly." Niccolie added  
  
"So how's your daughter?" she asked  
  
"Huh?" niccolie grunted confused as he took a seat next to her.  
  
"I saw you talking to her as I came in"  
  
"Yeah, she's fine, just in a little bit of shock."  
  
"Aren't we all?"  
  
"What do you mean by that?"  
  
"Zephon is freaking out, scream 'there is a traitor among us.' He is all ready drawing up assumptions on who it might be."  
  
"Sir can I help you" asked a nurse.  
  
"Yeah, I have...um...some arrows in my back and maybe some glass too." He said bending over so she could see his back.  
  
"Ok, looks like they broke off. We may have to dig them out."  
  
"Yeah, I broke them."  
  
"Frustrated?" asked Kyla.  
  
"What did your um...'father' say, is he suspicious of us.'  
  
"No, actually he is acting like we are the only two he can trust"  
  
"No, I meant...um...well you know."  
  
"Oh, um no he didn't even ask."  
  
"Aarrrggah" Niccolie groaned as the nurse dug a knife in to his back and popped out one arrowhead, then the other. Then she put some oil on it and a patch.  
  
"My father wants you to hunt down the traitor." Said Kyla getting up. 


	9. chapter 9

CHAPTER 9  
  
****  
  
Late that night. Niccolie sat on the roof of the city, almost three acres of nothing but stone roofing and wind. Niccolies tattered cape drifted in the wind. he sat high above the city. Zephon had a long talk with him about the 'must find the traitor' plan. Kyla was right Zephon was paranoid. Niccolie sat with the binoculars to his eyes looking in every direction for and possible evidence of a human spy. There was none. The wait rotted on into the night. No sign of any one leaving or entering the city.  
  
"Here sir." Said shark walking up behind him with a blood veil.  
  
"Thanks" said Niccolie taking it and devoured the blood.  
  
"Did you make sure you were not followed?" asked Niccolie.  
  
"Yes, no one was watching." He said sitting next to Niccolie.  
  
"Good"  
  
" what will we do if we see the traitor or possible traitor leaving the city?" asked shark.  
  
"We jump off the roof and down into the stables, grab our horses were the other men are waiting."  
  
"You trust that much to your men?"   
  
"I trust you and my men because we have been though a lot, we have learned to work as a team to get things done. If one slips up, the whole team will fall. That's how I trust you. On the battlefield and off. And besides none of you have ever been here enough to know were this 'secrete passage' is."  
  
"Indeed."  
  
They sat quietly in the dark, motionless waiting for some thing to happen. Hours went by and they sensed dawn. Then quietly the door to the city creaked open and a cloaked figure slipped out and ran off into the night.  
  
"There" said Niccolie getting up and running to the edge of the roof to get a better look.  
  
'That must be him." said Niccolie hopping of the cities roof  
  
Falling into a floating state. Falling was not some thing a vampire fears, unless it's falling into water or falling with out balence. It is almost graceful.  
  
Niccolie landed on his feet with a squatting motion and shark right behind him. Moko was waiting with Masa with all four horses ready to ride. They got on and road, they caught up with the dark figure but stayed a good distance from him, just watching, following to see where he would report. He walked a great distance into the outer rims of the clan territory. There nestled next to a small village was a tavern. Inside the hooded man went were he met two other people, Humans by the looks of it.  
  
"Were you followed?" asked one to the hooded man.  
  
"No" muttered the cloaked stranger  
  
'Close your doors innkeeper, this is unofficial business." Said the other man.  
  
The innkeeper closed his doors.  
  
The hooded man pulled his hood of to revile Zephons sixth lieutenant.  
  
"Your men didn't kill any of the lieutenants, nor Zephon..." he began.  
  
Out side the tavern Niccolie walked up to the doors. He looked to the side of the door and saw a sign that said, "Ring the bell for help" and pointed to a string.  
  
*Ding* *dong*  
  
"Who is it?" said the innkeeper as the two men and vampire looked at the doors with frightened eyes.  
  
"A wiry traveler looking for some gin." Said Niccolie.  
  
"Sorry, the taverns closed."  
  
"I insist"  
  
*BANG* Niccolie knocked down the doors  
  
The sixth lieutenant screamed and ran out the back, as the other two men drew swords.  
  
*Shink* one was down.  
  
*Shink* another crying on the ground grasping a stump for an arm.  
  
*Bang* the back door flung open as Shark, Moko and Masa hauled in the screaming sixth lieutenant. They flung him on to a table and held him down.  
  
"You are a traitor and will be punished." Said Niccolie pulling out his dagger. He walked up to the squirming vampires head, held it down and brought the dagger up to poor vampires eyes.  
  
That morning  
  
Niccolie strolled into the meeting room. Every one was there except the sixth lieutenant was there. Kyla looked a Niccolie.  
  
"Did you find the traitor?" asked Zephon. Niccolie pointed to the empty spot were the sixth lieutenant occupied.  
  
"Good." Zephon let out a sigh of relief. Niccolie reached in to his pocket, pulled out something, and tossed them to Zephon. Zephon caught them and held hem up. Two eyes. Zephon looked at Niccolie.  
  
"I said I wanted him alive."  
  
"He is. Follow me." Niccolie lead them out far into mountains and there strapped to a stone table was the sixth lieutenant. His clothing was stripped off and his body was coved in boils and was slowly being tanned to a crisp.  
  
Everyone looked at him though their nice shaded hoods that covered them from the suns poisons rays.  
  
"Well, isn't this a shock." Said Zephon walking up and leaning next to the lieutenant. "And I trusted you."  
  
Kyla walked up to Niccolie who was cold faced. She nudged him and he looked at her. She looked strait in to his eyes. Then as if she was invading his privacy she retracted from him and looked back to Zephon who was giving one of his speeches to the traitor lieutenant.  
  
"I say we leave you here to suffer for your crimes," said Zephon finishing of his big speech. Zephon then left and got into his carriage, Kyla followed him, the other lieutenants got in to the other carriages, and then they left leaving Niccolie alone with the traitor.  
  
"Niccolie" said the lieutenant turning his eyeless head to him. "You serve your master well, like a dog to its owner. Always doing what he asks likes a good lap dog." He said thought his crackled dry throat.  
  
Niccolie moved up to him and whispered in to his ear.  
  
"If I am the dog, that makes you my meat."  
  
Kyla and Zephon heard an ear-pricing scream of agony as they left the rocky hillside.  
  
"Is some thing amiss daughter?" asked Zephon as he noticed as sad gloom in her face.  
  
"You wanted to leave him with Niccolie?"  
  
"Niccolie does his best work alone, he will insure that my punishment is carried out to the end." 


	10. chapter 10

CHAPTER 10  
  
****  
  
Zephon left with his lieutenants for the clan meeting on schedule as kain had ordered. This was the first actual time that all the clan leaders would be in the same room since their birth with kain. Zephon was the second lieutenant to arrive next to Melchiah. Then came Razile, and his lieutenants. Then came Turel. Instantly Turel and Zephon shot looks of spite at each other. Zephon and Turel had a history and not a good one at that. Then came Dumah, the might worrier. Followed by Rahab the last to be notified and came in a rush.  
  
Then they entered legendary Nosgoth pillars. Niccolie had heard much about them, every one had. Like a fading memory of the good past that once held the land. But to see them was a less then inspiring event. They were all old and whether and in the middle, the pillar of balance, hard and strong with the throne of darkness built into it which kain sat.  
  
The meeting was horrible. Aromatically the lieutenants began to bicker amongst each other. But far worst amongst them all was Turel and Zephon.  
  
"YOU'RE A CONTROL FREAK TUREL!! CANT KEEP YOUR HANDS OF OTHER PEOPLES PROPERTY" yelled Zephon in a rage at him.  
  
"WELL AT LEAST I AM NOT A BACK STABBER LEECH LIKE YOU!!!" he roared back. "REMBERED THE STEEL MINE?"  
  
"I DID THAT BECAUSE YOU TOOK MY LAND!!"  
  
" IT WAS IN MY TERRRITORY!!"  
  
"BUT IT WAS MINE BY THE FACT THAT I BOUGHT IT FROM YOU, NUMSKULL!!"  
  
"WHO ARE YOU TO CALL ME SUCH, YOU DO NOTHING IN THIS WAR LITTLE BROTHER!!"  
  
"YOUR MOUTH IS BIGGER THEN YOUR BRIAN TUREL!! I COULD EASY CRUSH YOUR SMALL MINDED CLAN!!!!" Zephon screamed   
  
"Well, you would also have to take down me to," said Raziel siding with Turel.  
  
"HA!! FATHERS PRESIOUS FRIST BORN SON TO THE RESCUE!!! UNFORTENTLY RAZILE YOU MAY HAVE THE GOOD LOOKS BUT I GOT THE BRIANS!!"  
  
"ZEPHON!" roared kain  
  
"And I mean that with respect." zephon said back tracking.  
  
"Zephon is right Turel, you do happen to become a hog at times" said Rahab.   
  
"FINE!! At least I am doing some thing in this war! Unlike Zephon and his...pitiful clan."  
  
"YOU DARE!!" roared Zephon.  
  
"STOP THIS!!" roared kain standing up. "You bicker like spoiled incompetent brats. Is this what you have reduced our empire to!! If you have a dispute, finish it now!"  
  
The room was silent, Zephon and Turel looked at kain, then each other.  
  
"RAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!" they yelled as the lunged for each other. Raziel and four of Turels lieutenant's grabbed Turel, as Rahab, Niccolie, and Kyla held Zephon.  
  
"Your in the presents of our father Turel!! Stop this!! Control your temper!!" hissed Raziel trying to hold the seven foot eight behemoth from crushing five nine Zephon.  
  
"Zephon, Turels bigger then you!!" Rahab yelled as Zephon tried to squirm free of their grip.  
  
"Yeah and dumber!!!" Zephon snickered  
  
"Stop this both of you." Said kain.  
  
Zephon stopped struggling and shook free of their grip, and straiten his clan flag.  
  
Turel calmed down and stopped fighting.  
  
Turel growled at Zephon.  
  
"Did you just growl at me?" said Zephon " only dogs growl. Are you a dog Turel?"  
  
"WHY YOU LITTLE WELP..." Turel lunged again and Razile all of his lieutenants as well as all of Turels grabbed him and pulled him back.  
  
*Shink* kain pulled out the soul reaver. Turel and Zephon stopped fighting immediately as the greater threat lay pointed at them both.  
  
"Good." Said kain sitting back into his throne. "Now that we are all getting along let me explain something to all of you."  
  
All the lieutenants directed their attention to him.  
  
"We will have this meeting every month to discus battle plans and such, but also to improve clan relations, regardless of what you think. Each one of you will be given a part in this empire, to take responsibility over. Turel you may not know it, but Zephon does have and has been playing his part in this war. He collects information for your attacks as well as tracks human movement and watches them closely so we don't get any surprises, without his spy network we would have never gotten this far. Every move me make must be researched to insure there is no flaws in our actions. Zephon, since Turel does happen be the main force to our infantry next to Raziel and Dumah, you should respect him as well, he holds the greatest risk in this war, our frist line of defense. We all have a problem if one of us does not respect the others given duty. Razile, Dumah, and Turel. You run infantry and supply the soldiers to the main army. Rahab, and Melchiah, you work artillery and transport the supplies. And Zephon, you make battle plans, coordinate attacks, watch our enemies, track their movements, and provide the information we need to carry out a successful mission. Now if Razile does not respect Melchiah, he most likely will not have the catapults, houses, weapons or blood they produce and transport, nor will mocking any other of our family earn us success in this war. We all have a part. Play it."  
  
Kain snapped his fingers and a servant walked up a rolled tapestry and unraveled it out on the floor in front of them. It was a map of the known Nosgoth.  
  
'Here" said kain pointed the soul reaver on to the map.  
  
"This is the last big human kingdom. The city of Stahlberg, the humans are rallying there. Zephons intelligences reports that the remainder of the other kingdoms are gathering here as well. men, ages 17 to 40 are to go here to prepare for battle, both to train in the art of war, and take a place in war. They have become a significant threat to our main objective." Kain with drew his sword and poked it to the coast west of Zephons lair "there is a strong human presents here as well, they are building some thing large, a new city perhaps. We are unsure what it is but they are almost finished. note it in you minds, as for now I suggest that we direct our attention Stahlberg first, and then turn our attention to the human's new project. Stahlberg will be able to mobilize in a few months."  
  
Kain with drew his sword and turned to the lieutenants.  
  
"Turel and Razile, I want you to relocate as many free troops as you can to our current location And I want all supplies possible sent here too." Kain pointed to a lake not far form the pillars on the map "I want you to cut off this river and Dam the lake. Then after about a month we will have another meeting a discuss reconstruction plans. After we defeat Stahlberg, we will have little opposition over this world."  
  
The meeting as over and all the lieutenants went home with new orders. Niccolie had to report to Raziel and run a cleverly unit along with his riders. Kain orders were carried out as he had asked. The lakes where dammed and the cities of the clan world was in a frenzy as drafters ran through the halls snatching any one who looked able to fight.  
  
Every man and woman was drafted in to the army to attack Stahlberg.  
  
Niccolie demanded that Karie and her friends would stay out of the war, and as a loyal servant, Niccolies request was honored. But Thresh was rogue Turelim and Zephon had no power over his fate and he was quickly drafted into the Turelim infantry.  
  
****  
  
Dawn came.   
  
The final days of humanity were coming to a close. Kain, and his lieutenants and their lieutenants stood as the sun rose it's last day of human power. Niccolie and Kyla stood next to Zephon. Stahlberg stood in front of them, a once glorious city now clinging to existence as hordes of army camps where piched up around it like small insects clusters and their armys reading for the attack. but kain and his sons stood frim, behind them was their army, still fledged but large enough to stand it's own. Covering the fields as far as the eye could see, spears clanging off battle armor and the whiny of horses echoed threw the valley.  
  
The sun rose and blasted its light on to the vampires. Rahab shielded his eyes, Melchiah fingers twitched nervously, Zephon was trying not to get impatient, and Dumah was sharpening his axe-sword in preparation. Raziles gaze was for some thing else and Turel twitted his fingers in anticipation. But kain...  
  
Kain stood bold, and looked confidently fearless into the light, confident of his success and defiant against all that opposed him.  
  
"Long ago" kain began "vampires fought for their survival in Nosgoth from the humans relentless purges, to fight from their own eradication. Now as I look on this battlefield, I see how the tables have turned. The once hunted is the hunter, and his prey his past hunter. history does had it's own ironic twists." Kain turned around and faced his army.  
  
"We will emerge victorious!" And with that he nodded his men to leave for their positions, Raziel, Dumah, and Turel all ran to their infantry commands. Rahab ran with Melchiah to the artillery units. Zephon moved to the strategic signal post, ready to give kains commands. Niccolie got on his horse and He road down his cavalry unit.  
  
"Swords up" he said as he neared them and then a murmur went thought them and all swords rose pointed high to the sky and the other units did the same in the dark riders fashion.  
  
Niccolie glanced back to Zephon, who motioned for him join him for a moment. Zephon stood next to kain as Niccolie road up to him.  
  
"Niccolie, your men will enter second, be swift and move in the wave pattern and go for the flanks." said Zephon. "Box them in, the Turelim work better in densely packed quarries."  
  
"Wait for my signal" kain said firmly "and retreat only by my command and no others." knowing kain he probably would never let them retreat; this battle was all or nothing.  
  
"Yes my Lord" Niccolie nodded in respect and road back to the head of his unit and waited. Kyla walked up along side him.  
  
"Good luck" she said with a smile  
  
"Is there such a thing?" Niccolie asked   
  
"If you believe in it." she said calmly  
  
She pulled out her long sword and twirled it in one hand skillfully.  
  
"You will fight with the infantry?" Niccolie felt a shot of worry.  
  
"I choose to." she boldly looked back to him.  
  
"I will provide you with some cover."  
  
"I am not as fragile person you think I am. I can handle my self in battle."  
  
"I know I can't change your mind. But it would be nice to keep seeing your face around the court, your presents is comforting"  
  
"Niccolie? Is that concern in your voice I hear?"  
  
"Watch your self" said Niccolie as Kyla walked off into the Razielim lines.  
  
Niccolie was worried about her and come to think of it, another person, Karies friend Thresh, he was out there some where in the Turelim lines. Karie asked for Niccolie to watch out for him.  
  
Suddenly he saw Kain make a nod Zephon, who commanded his men to wave red flags to Turel on the far end of the field and the battle was on. The first line of Turelim charged down and met a wall of sharp spears and raining arrows, their tramendous battle cry ripped threw the silence of the vally. The Turelim were expert warriors, lead by Turel, the charghed down like a furious wave of power. they smashed threw the defenses like giant boulders, crushing human bone and body under their stampede, ripping apart groups of humans in one blow of their huge battle axes.  
  
Niccolie looked to kain. Kain turned to him, firm faced, and nodded.   
  
"HA!" Said Niccolie and his new horse charged with all it's speed down the hill and into the lines, and behind him, like a thundering storm thousands of men followed.  
  
*Shink* Niccolie pulled out his sword as he got closer to the line, the humans turned their attention to sound of charging death, only feet away. Niccolie readied his blade and quickly picked out his first victim of the day, there, a man reloading his cross bow, head down.  
  
Niccolie raised his sword up high ready to take the first kill for his men.  
  
*Shink*  
  
The strike was like that of the bell of war, suddenly every one was surrounded by humans, hacking and slashing them to pieces as they charged pass. Niccolie lost himself as the sent of blood reached his nose, swinging his blade he hacked his way threw the humans uncaringly in a heated trance of battle. One here, one there, he kept riding in circles killing any think that got in his way. The humans out matched began to clump in to circles facing off enemies form all directions, but they where small and insignificant, the riders just ran over them like they were bugs. The vampires were stronger, faster, and more durable then the humans, the battle was won before they had even began.   
  
Niccolie must had killed a hundred men before he was knocked off his hoarse, but He killed who ever was near him and he got back on and continued his assault. The Razielim and Dumahim joined the battle and Rahab began laying waste to the humans rear with the artillery as Niccolies riders preformed their faint attack and moved for the flanks of the human army, pushing them into fearful groups.  
  
Niccolie lead the raid, forcing the humans to turn their attention to him then the devastating infantry clans who posed a greater threat. He road around like a demon, arrows were covering his back and legs, his horse had arrows stuck in it's hunches, but Niccolie felt not pain nor fear, he felt rage, and unleashed it on his enemy with the fury of his blade. Humans screamed and vampires screamed. Death was all around him. Then he saw Kyla, she was lashing away at a wall of humans, they pored down on her and she just whip her sword at them and cut out their necks in a graceful sweep. Niccolie rushed over to her and cut down the closet human.   
  
She took her eyes off the battle for a moment but a moment was an enough.  
  
*Thwack* she was knocked to the ground, but quickly kicked her legs out tripped her assailant then finished him off.  
  
Niccolie saw that she was a fighter, and quickly saw that in his moment of selflessness he hand failed to look around for more troubled places. The Turelim where slowly beginning to get worn down, quickly tiring from the length of the battle  
  
He charged around cutting and loping humans down as he dashed passed. He road for what seemed like hours just Killing any human he passed. It seemed consistent until...  
  
*SRAAAK! *  
  
"RRAAAAHHHHHHGGGGGGGH!!!" Niccolie roared and jerked back by a force.  
  
He was hit, hard. A spear had come out of nowhere and pushed deep into his shoulder between his neck and arm. Niccolie roared in rage and snapped the spear off, then glanced about for the man who dared to do it. That was too difficult, to many humans, they seemed to blur as he dashed by and then he saw Thresh. But it was an instant, no more then a flash of his face then Niccolie took another glance and Thresh was gone, swept away by the tide of the battle. Niccolie turned to find Thresh again but lost him among the thousands of Turelim. But Niccolie began to notice that the humans were growing few, and fewer. Until he realized they were all gone and he was riding in a field of dead, watching the backs of a hundred or so humans make a mad retreat for the woods and the great Stahlberg spew forth fleeing humans like a ant hill on the verge of destruction.  
  
He trotted thought the field of blood. He heard a familiar moan and road to it.  
  
There buried beneath the bodies was Kyla. She was on her side with two bodies laying on her. Her hair soaked with the blood of men.  
  
Niccolie quickly got off and ran to give her a hand. Her eyes were closed but she was alive, breathing hard form exhaustion. He kicked the bodies off of her and lends down to examine her.  
  
"Kyla are you ok?" he whispered into her ear.  
  
"I'm hurt," she moaned. "But I am okay"  
  
Niccolie picked her up; she wrapped her bloody hands around him as he set her on his horse.   
  
"What happed?" Niccolie asked as he led her to the medics  
  
"I was hit by a rather big human with a mace, flung me twenty yards before I hit the ground."  
  
"Ouch"  
  
"Not as bad as having a bunch of people run over you and trample you to death." She said brushing some of the blood from her face. "Good thing I am already dead" she shrugged it off "You got to help look for corpses. Zephon will wan the biggest corpses you can find."   
  
She said slowly slipping off the horse, on to her feet again as if nothing happened. Niccolie watched her in amazement as she walked a short distanced, fell down, Then got back up with her sword in her hand and then limp off to the top of the hill where Zephon and the infirmary was.  
  
"Strong woman" Niccolie thought as he got back on the horse and looked about. The humans had been decimated; many of the vampires had survived, and were quickly shuffling through the humans for possessions. they wanted for trophies and souvenirs of the battle, But many where injured, and limping or crawling back up the hill of medical attention.  
  
Niccolie spent all day walking thought the field with others looking for the corpse of great human warriors or dead old friends. Niccolie didn't find Thresh, nor did he find him at the camps that night. Niccolie figured he was lost. Dead, missing, which ever it was he was not around. then later that night as Niccolie walked thought the infirmary to find Kyla when he heard a faint voice called his name. Niccolie turned.  
  
There in a cripple's bed with white blood stained clothing wrapped around his arms and chest was Thresh. He lay still in bed barely able to move.  
  
"I have been looking for you." said Niccolie bending down next to him. "What happened"?  
  
"I was in the frount line." thresh said with a soft whisper.  
  
"The worst place to be, But I thought I saw you near the rear."  
  
"Yes, you had a long spear in your shoulder and I tried to pull it out but I was overwhelmed and then someone threw water at Me." he said slowly bring up his arms to show his scars.  
  
Niccolie was quite for a moment unsure what to tell the boy.  
  
"It must have hurt" he said bluntly  
  
"Not as much as the nurses tiring to pull out all the arrows I had in my back"   
  
Niccolie laughed, and thresh tried to laugh but ended up coughing up blood.  
  
"Rest, I will be taking you back home soon." Niccolie said slowly getting up.  
  
"Um sir?"  
  
"Yes?"   
  
"Are you going to get those wounds fixed?" he tried to motion to the arrows stuck in Niccolies back and the blood gushing wound in his shoulder.  
  
"As soon as I check on some one"  
  
Niccolie let thresh be and went to find Kyla. It took him a while before he founded her at her own tent quietly resting in bed, He walked up to her bed and saw that she was asleep he brushed away the hair in her eyes and she slowly opened them.  
  
"I have been looking for you," he said   
  
"Hmmm." she said As she turned to him.  
  
"I want to apologize for underestimated your fighting ability's."  
  
"I can't blame you, most men would not think I could fight so well and dwell under such harsh conditions." She said putting her hand against his cheek.  
  
He leaned down and kissed her. She smiled, he smiled back, and she let out a fiant chuckle.  
  
"it's over now..." Niccolie said "Lord kain has proclaimed 'Vae Victus'"  
  
****  
  
Epilog  
  
With the last of their great kingdoms destroyed, the humans fought the vampire in disarray. they fell at Kains Empire like flies and with in a hundred years most threading human resistance was eliminated. The humans turned to new defense and build cities to keep the vampire hordes far form what little civilization they had left.  
  
Although Niccolie was still took orders form kain, and was still in high demand for his services. Niccolie often left the wages of war to spent his days at the Zephonim city with Karie and her friends, with ,of course, presents of lady Kyla. Zephon never questioned the two aboutit and if there was a possible involvement with each other. With the war over niccolie had turned his attention to brith clan, now willing to help Zephon achieve his ambitions goals to strengthen the clan, Most of which where moves to suppress other clan movements, and enlarge his territory.  
  
Kain and his empire began to change Nosgoth To their will. But soon the change would come to them, a change that would sperate the caff from the wheat, and a father form his daughter. 


End file.
